Beth Ingram is an enthusiastic supporter of the arts in Kansas City. While she is closely aligned to the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Ingram and her husband Robert were patrons for many of the arts in the metropolitan area. She became a fan of Musical Theater Heritage founder George Harter and the Broadway shows when the Ingrams ran KXTR, the former classical radio station in town.
Ingram is also an award winner for her leadership and philanthropy when it comes to the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. She received the national Opera America Trustee Recognition Award and a Missouri Arts Award for Philanthropy. As a 42-year member of the Board of Directors, she has held the officer positions of secretary, treasurer, vice-president, president, vice-chairman and chairman. She was the first woman president on the Lyric Opera Board and continued in her leading role by serving on the Executive Committee for the majority of those years. Ingram also serves on the board of Buzzards Bay Music Festival and International Wine and Food Society in Massachusetts.
“When George hosted On the Town on KXTR, I loved his program and him. I used to lead tours for KXTR and the Lyric Opera to New York. In time, George came to me and asked if he could lead a trip. It started from there. We sold the radio station in 1996 and George started talking about starting his own musical background show. I suppose he is my protégé,” Ingram says. “I suppose I have been supporting George and Musical Theater Heritage from the beginning.”
With Ingram’s media-related businesses and properties, she understands how the arts can not only generate income in the city, but engender interest. “It’s terribly important that the arts get the hoopla they deserve. The arts create more income than sports in this town. While some may be interested in moving here for sports, the arts, more than anything, create a bigger interest. A cultural city is defined by the fact that there are many things for people to do.”
Ingram applauds Harter for hiring quality staff. “While there are really no costumes, they stage the production. You forget there is no scenery. Then there are the Musical Mondays. They have the knack to create a show that draws an audience in. Of the past shows, Evita was just wonderful as was Big River and Sweeney Todd was just phenomenal. I never cared for Sweeney Todd until MTH took it on. Whatever they do, they do so well.”
“I am proud of how far Musical Theater Heritage has come. They started out on the Belger-Cartage loading dock. They have grown to need that theater at Crown Center. They keep getting more and more attendees. There are more and more season ticket holders. George and his group continue to grow their products,” she says.
With the 15th anniversary, Ingram says Musical Theater Heritage deserves lots of praise. “I will support them and celebrate them in what they do. George’s wife is supportive and everyone affiliated to MTH seems like a family. I will do whatever I can to honor and support them. Whatever I see, I make sure to take a group of people with me.”•
