The Kansas City Public Library offers a musical retrospective of the works of celebrated Czech composer Rudolf Friml during a program led by music historian William Everett on Monday, May 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

A pioneer of the operetta during the 1920s, Friml composed works that earned international acclaim and would be adapted for the screen in the 1930s. As a piano student in Prague, he studied under Antonin Dvorak before establishing himself in New York City on Broadway with The Firefly (1912) and later Rose Marie (1924) and The Three Musketeers (1928).

In addition to Everett’s comments on the life and work of the great composer, this program features vocal solos and duets taken from Friml’s most important works as performed by students from the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance.

Everett is an associate professor of musicology at the Conservatory and is author of a new biography on Friml, the first book-length study of his multifaceted musical legacy. This program features contributions from fellow Conservatory faculty members Dale Morehouse and Anthony Humrichouser.

This presentation is co-sponsored by the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance.