The Harriman-Jewell Series will celebrate 1,000 performances with an appearance from soprano Pretty Yende at the Folly Theater on Saturday, January 7.
The Series has become a well known standard bearer, bringing world-renowned artists and ensembles to Kansas City stages for 58 seasons.
But what is lesser known is its origin story.
"The Series got started at William Jewell College because of two English professors — neither of whom had studied music or the arts, but they both loved the arts and loved music —and [they] wanted something more for the college, its students and the community," says executive and artistic director Clark Morris.
Those two professors, Richard Harriman and Dean Dunham, started with two small performances in 1965, which quickly grew into the institution we know today as the Harriman-Jewell Series.
Morris has been to nearly 600 of the 1,000 total performances, and from the beginning he knew this was going to be special for him.
"I can remember sitting at the Folly Theater, hearing the Academy of Ancient Music play Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' and of course I'd heard a recording [of that work] before, but never had experienced it live. It was such incredible artistry that my mind was blown."
As Morris graduated from William Jewell College, he had an opportunity to step into a leadership role at the Harriman-Jewell series, and work closely with co-founder Richard Harriman.
Since the beginning — and including Clark’s 30+ years at the helm — the series has worked to keep up with the changing landscape of classical music, and with changing audience preferences.
"It's not perfect. There are things that we need to work on as a community, but I think one of the things that we do well is we have a handle on how [we can] provide accessibility to great culture at a good price."
Listen to our interview with Clark Morris above to learn more about the Harriman-Jewell Series' origins and future.
You can learn more about the Harriman-Jewell Series at hjseries.org.
