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Jean Belmont Ford: The Joy of Writing Music
Last March, during the last performance of the American Choral Directors Association’s conference, the Kansas City Chorale performed the latest work by Kansas City composer Jean Belmont Ford, “Manifesto.” The piece wasn’t listed on the program and when artistic director Charles Bruffy announced that she was in the audience, people gasped.
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A Watercolor Lesson for Eisenhower and a Memorable Day for Kansas City Artist Jim Hamil
Jim Hamil, a young artist in 1961 at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, looked up from the watercolor painting on his table to see the commotion in the creative department. What he saw startled him. A group of executives stood in front of his office cubicle, and with them was former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.