By Tim Ackerman

It was all about filling a void, in the beginning. The Kansas City arts scene was bleak in the early 1960s: A number of for-profit presenting groups had long since folded, and the few remaining professional ensembles were struggling. In their shared Jewell Hall office, English professors Dean Dunham, Jr. and Richard Harriman ’53 would regularly lament the region’s prairie-flat cultural landscape.

Soon the two decided to take action, and produced a plan to request funding from the college’s administration that would allow them to present a few performances in Gano Chapel. Funding was eventually approved, and with $3,000 in hand, Harriman scheduled two events for the 1965-1966 academic year: a dance performance by New York City Ballet stars Edward Villella and Patricia McBride, and a vocal recital by Jan Peerce, a leading tenor of the day.

Harriman’s first programming opportunities are telling: he brought the best. Rather than scheduling three, four or five really good artists or ensembles, he made a conscious decision to choose artists who were great. Those first programming decisions and the hundreds that followed have made William Jewell’s performing arts series remarkable, and a point of pride for the college’s leadership, students and alumni.

A Leader Emerges

When Clark Morris ’91 left Savannah, Mo., and enrolled at William Jewell, his projected career path centered around law or business, not arts administration. During his first year, Morris became familiar with Jewell’s performing arts series—then called the William Jewell College Fine Arts Program—by attending performances. He later joined its staff as a work-study student. While an undergraduate, Morris continued to work for the Program and it became increasingly clear that he was in his element. He accepted a full-time, box-office position with the Program while still a student and, during the 15 years since, Morris has performed an array of tasks: from ticket sales and marketing, to event coordination and contract negotiation, to budget management and personnel supervision.

In July of 2003, Morris was named executive director of the Program. The move allowed Harriman, who holds the position of artistic director, to focus on his passion: event programming.

While change for the Program is certain to occur over time, an overarching objective for the transition in leadership was to offer patrons an assurance of quality and consistency. “The Program has such an extraordinary track record,” Morris said. “It would be madness to attempt radical changes in its course.”

In New York City

With the Harriman team now firmly in place and continuity of leadership assured, the work of bringing world-class performers to Kansas City stages continues within the Program’s legacy of excellence. In their quest for the best, Harriman and Morris travel regularly to the world’s arts centers, but most frequently to New York City. The city that is home to Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Broadway is also the headquarters of the top artist-management firms. Along with seeing and hearing artists and ensembles that will potentially come to the William Jewell series, Harriman and Morris meet with managers of performing artists to pursue emerging talent, sketch out future seasons and solidify contracts.

On a recent planning trip to New York, Harriman and Morris combined a busy schedule of management meetings with performances at the Met and Carnegie Hall. Although their evenings were spent in the glittery surroundings of storied venues, their days were occupied with meetings in management offices and restaurants scattered throughout the rain-wet streets of Manhattan.

It is through this behind-the-scenes work with management representatives that Harriman and Morris have nurtured a critical constituency: well-connected contacts in the performing arts who are vital to the Program’s current and future success. By listening to these management “movers and shakers” it’s clear that the Program’s reputation extends far beyond the Midwest.

West 57th Street’s Carnegie Hall Tower, which looms just next to the world’s most famous concert stage, is the New York home of IMG Artists and workplace to Romana Jaroff, vice president and booking manager/vocal division.

“Richard and Clark travel to New York and all over to hear and see new work. They consider new and innovative ideas, but don’t just choose what everyone else is choosing,” said Jaroff, who represents Renée Fleming, Kiri Te Kanawa, Denyce Graves and many more.

“The Harriman Arts Program is an anchor,” Jaroff continued. “A booking agent knows that a Midwest period can be built properly when the Jewell series is a stop on a tour. To be blunt, a booking agent also knows that a stop on the Jewell series between some ‘filler’ dates will be like a little shot of Carnegie Hall energy,” she said.

Jenny Palmer, Midwestern territory booking manager for an IMG Artists roster that includes Itzhak Perlman, Murray Perahia, Hilary Hahn and others, said that the Harriman series succeeds in maintaining a delicate balance between established and emerging artists. “By bringing the best artists, the series continues to expose audiences to the value of the performing arts. By introducing artists who have never been in the area before, the Harriman Arts Program also asks audiences to take chances – to continue to explore the arts – not just to passively wait for ‘known’ talent to come and perform. This is really what a great arts program does; it asks audiences to take chances.”

Just a crosswalk away from Carnegie Hall are the offices of Columbia Artists Management (CAMI), which represents singers such as Ben Heppner, Clifton Forbis ’84, Marilyn Horne, Daniel Belcher ’92 and Deborah Voigt, as well as ensembles that range from the Parsons Dance Company to the Royal Philharmonic. CAMI Vice President Andrew Grossman talked about his experiences working with Harriman and Morris.

“I’ve worked with Dr. Harriman for 30 years,” said Grossman. “It is a joy to work with someone who is so knowledgeable, so ahead of the curve. And working with Clark is a pleasure; he is the next generation. He cares as deeply for the arts as Richard does.”

Grossman’s colleague at CAMI, Vice President Christine Barkley, agreed with her associate’s assessment: “Richard has built the Harriman Arts Program into a model program across the country, and Clark is paving the way of the future. It is the strongest team that I have seen in a long time. Richard and Clark book far in advance and have made Kansas City a major cornerstone market that we build our tours around.”

‘In The Vanguard’ of The Performing Arts

With umbrellas in hand, Harriman and Morris make their way across town to keep a lunch-meeting at a restaurant across the street from ICM Artists, Ltd., where Booking Representative Seth Malasky shared his thoughts about working with the Harriman Program:

“Those of us who represent a roster of distinguished artists recognize the Harriman Arts Program as one of the great artist series in the country,” said Malasky, who handles bookings for Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham, Wynton Marsalis, Sarah Chang and others. “Clark and Richard are ‘enlightened presenters,’ as their presentations are guided first and foremost by artistry and talent, while they continue to keep the series popular and vibrant. Their dedication to introducing their audience to fresh new artistic voices keeps the series in the vanguard of the performing arts.”

Representatives of artist management firms throughout New York provided similar endorsements of the well-honed artistic instincts of the Harriman team, and of the unique working relationship between management and presenter that has developed over the years.

For Robert Mickelsen, associate booking director of Big League Theatricals, the strong reputation of the Harriman series has been built on a foundation of trust nurtured over time. “This is an industry built on relationships and mutual trust. To have the opportunity of reinforcing those relationships in person on a regular basis is a very positive thing. In this particular case, it’s a relationship that has grown into a true friendship and that’s something I cherish. I always learn from both of them—especially Richard with his years of seeing, hearing and experiencing culture around the world; he has a very sophisticated cultural palate, one of the finest in the business. I consider the Program to be one of the four or five top programs in our country. I would even go so far as to say that although there are programs with larger budgets, there are few that maintain the high artistic level that the Harriman Arts Program has done throughout its history.”

‘When Can We Go Back?’

The managers said that performing artists are equally enthusiastic about their experiences with the Harriman series.

“All of our artists praise the Harriman Arts Program,” said CAMI’s Barkley. “Even the tech people feel like stars when we perform in Kansas City. The staff members of the Harriman Arts Program are professionals and are dedicated to providing a memorable experience for our artists as well as their patrons.”

Big League’s Mickelsen agreed: “Artists love to perform and be presented on [the Harriman] series. It’s obvious by the number of major artists that have had repeat engagements there. When an artist is treated with the courtesy and respect that is always extended by the Harriman staff, it enhances the performance and creates goodwill between the artist, the audience and the presenter that is never forgotten. As a theatrical booking agent, and also a former classical/dance manager and agent, I can tell you that this is not the case in many presenting organizations large and small. The Harriman Arts Program does this with great care and skill.”

According to CAMI’s Grossman, the Harriman experience provides for many performers—particularly international artists—an eye-opening introduction to performing outside the established cultural capitols: “Many artists over the years did not know what to expect when coming to the Heartland. When they come out of the experience they see sophistication, not just in the Program, but also in the audiences. Kansas City audiences are as sophisticated as those at Carnegie Hall or anywhere. Artists ask ‘When can we go back there?’ And that’s what you want to hear.”