The Conservatory is pleased to note that Lee Hartman (MM, DMA, composition; ABT musicology) has been awarded the Outstanding Alumni for the UMKC 2017 Pride Awards sponsored by UMKC LGBTQIA.
Dr. Hartman is an active composer with numerous commissions and is the artistic director of the Mid America Freedom Band, Kansas City, MO.
Alan Day and Zachary Parker began discussing the formation of a band during the summer of 2001. Originally planned as a senior Drum & Bugle Corp, the founders decided to shift focus into becoming a performing musical organization focused on Kansas City's LGBTA (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transsexual, and Ally) community. Mid America Freedom Band held its first rehearsal on April 18, 2002 at the Lesbian and Gay Community Center in Kansas City with four musicians. That same year MAFB also became proud full member of the Lesbian and Gay Band Association an organization complied of now over 35 similar bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Congratulations, Lee!