Conductor

Kai West is a dedicated music educator, conductor, and arts director with over 25 years of service to Alaska’s Mat-Su Valley. She currently serves as the Conductor of the Mat Su Youth Orchestra, the Music Specialist at Shaw Elementary School within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, and the Artistic Director for Valley Performing Arts (VPA).

Raised in a distinguished musical family, Kai was immersed in classical music from an early age. Her father, Lee Larrison, was a violinist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and her grandmother, Rose Larrison – a retired music teacher and accomplished pianist – instilled her musical foundation and taught her piano. Kai continued her studies in both piano and cello through college, earning a Liberal Arts degree in Education from Covenant College. Her lifelong passion for orchestral music was sparked during her teenage years playing in a youth orchestra in Nashville, Tennessee.

As a supporter of the Mat-Su arts community, Kai has been deeply involved in musical theater for more than 25 years, including eight seasons conducting pit orchestras for VPA spring musicals at the Glenn Massay Theater. As conductor of the Mat Su Youth Orchestra, she remains committed to giving young musicians across the valley the opportunity to build advanced ensemble skills, form lifelong friendships, and experience the shared joy of performing great symphonic music