Welcome to our 59th Season of performances.

In the early 1960s, college professors Richard Harriman and Dean Dunham sat in their shared office and wondered how to offer meaningful, cultural opportunities to the Kansas City community. Neither of them had professional music backgrounds, or artistic connections, but they shared a true appreciation for the performing arts and knew there was a void in the community. The Midwest had ceased to be a stop on national tours for international artists, and this sparked an idea – how could they create a way to showcase extraordinary artists and ensembles for our local community to brighten Kansas City’s stages once again?

Flash forward a few years and on December 3, 1965, New York City ballet stars Edward Villella and Patricia McBride were the very first performers presented by the Series, then known as the Fine Arts Program at William Jewell College. This first performance would mark the beginning of 59 seasons and counting of artistic history.

From these very early days, the Harriman-Jewell Series has served as the leading performing arts presenter in the Kansas City area, bringing artists of legendary skill to thousands of audience members from across the region.

It is with true appreciation, that we welcome you back to this next season of incredible performances.

Mahani Teave piano

Award-winning pianist and humanitarian Mahani Teave is a pioneering artist who bridges the creative world with education and environmental activism, and the only professional classical musician on her native Easter Island.

Her debut album, Rapa Nui Odyssey, was number one on the Billboard charts and received raves from critics, including BBC Music Magazine, which noted her “natural pianism” and “magnificent artistry.”

Her inspirational story was chronicled by 15-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker John Forsen in a new documentary, Song of Rapa Nui, available globally on Amazon Prime Video. At 30, on the cusp of a

Breadth and grandeur… heroic rhetoric and caressing lyricism…exquisitely poised… genuine eloquence. As fulfilling and enriching the musical culture of Rapa Nui surely must be, one hopes that Mahani Teave will somehow find a way to share her beautifully wrought, heartfelt pianist with audiences beyond her remote island.” – Gramophone

Saturday, September 9, 2023, 7 PM

Folly Theater

Generously sponsored by: Charles and Virginia Clark burgeoning career, she decided to return home to found her island’s first music school, Toki Rapa Nui, a self-sustaining ecological wonder which also teaches children about renewable natural resources and their quickly-fading cultural heritage.

Mahani Teave joins us from her native Easter Island for the Series’ 25th American Recital Debut.

Friday, October 13, 2023, 7 PM Folly Theater

Generously sponsored by: The Board of Advisors of the Harriman-Jewell Series