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John Kim Bell (born October 8, 1952) is a very important Canadian leader. He was the first Indigenous person to conduct a symphony orchestra in Canada. He also started the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, which is now called Indspire. This foundation helps Indigenous people succeed. He also created the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, now known as the Indspire Awards, which celebrate Indigenous leaders. Today, he is a top expert who helps First Nations communities with energy projects.

John Kim Bell has received many honors. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of Ontario. These are high awards given to Canadians for their great work. He won the Royal Bank Award for Canadian Achievement in 1988, which came with a large cash prize. He has also received three medals from the Queen. In 2003, he was named the outstanding cultural leader by the Canadian Conference of the Arts. In 2005, he advised Prince Charles of the UK. The Royal Conservatory of Music gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. Indigenous communities have also honored him with three Eagle feathers for his work.

John Kim Bell's Early Life and School

Growing Up

John Kim Bell was born in 1952 on the Kahnawake Reserve in Quebec, Canada. His father was Don Eagle, a famous Mohawk wrestler. Don Eagle was known as "the most famous Indian in the world" in his time. He even appeared on The Tonight Show often in the 1950s. John's mother, Beth Hamilton Bell, was a model and writer. She had her own radio show in the United States. She met Don Eagle for an interview, and they got married six weeks later.

Beth Hamilton Bell moved to the Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve to be with Don Eagle. At that time, it was unusual for people from different backgrounds to marry. After John and his brother were born, his parents separated. His mother took John and his brother to live with her parents in Columbus, Ohio. John and his brother visited the Kahnawake Reserve in the summers. However, they sometimes felt like outsiders both in Ohio and on the reserve.

John started playing the piano when he was eight years old. He later learned the violin and saxophone. He was very talented from a young age. By age ten, he was playing piano on local TV talent shows and winning state piano contests. As a teenager, he played piano for a summer theater company. This led him to become an associate conductor for a big international show called A Chorus Line. By the time he was 18, John was conducting many Broadway shows, ballets, and operas. He even worked with famous stars like Gene Kelly and Lauren Bacall.

Education and First Jobs

John Kim Bell went to Ohio State University and earned a music degree in 1976. He then studied music in Sienna, Italy, at the Academia Musica Chigiana. After that, he learned from the famous conductor Zubin Mehta at the New York Philharmonic. In New York, John conducted for several dance companies and many Broadway and opera shows.

John Kim Bell's Career

Conductor and Composer

In 1980, John Kim Bell was touring in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with A Chorus Line. The musicians in the show, many from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, were very impressed with him. They suggested to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's Music Director, Andrew Davis, that he should take John on as an apprentice. After an audition, John was chosen as the Apprentice Conductor for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

In 1984, the CBC made a documentary about John's music career. It was called "John Kim Bell: The First North American Indian Conductor." After this documentary came out, many Indigenous artists contacted him for help. John also started getting invitations to speak to Indigenous communities and groups. He realized there were no programs to support Indigenous artists. This inspired him to create the Canadian Native Arts Foundation (CNAF). Its goal was to educate and promote Indigenous artists. His first fundraising concert in 1987 featured the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Don Ross, and the then-unknown Shania Twain.

John Kim Bell also produced, directed, and helped compose "In the Land of the Spirits." This was the first ballet to feature only Indigenous performers and tour across Canada. It first showed at the National Arts Centre in 1992 and was very successful.

He composed music for several films and shows, including Divided Loyalties and Time Immemorial. He also wrote music for many of the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards shows that he produced and directed. In 1985, he conducted the orchestra for the National Ballet of Canada. In 1987, he conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, England.

Helping Others (Philanthropy)

As an Indigenous man working in the world of symphony music, John Kim Bell realized he could make a big difference. He saw that he could be a strong role model for Indigenous people and help bring about important social change.

In 1985, John founded the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. In 1993, he started the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards. These awards celebrated the success of Indigenous leaders in Canada. Under John's leadership, the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards became one of the biggest cultural events in Canada. He was the President of the Foundation for twenty years. During this time, it became the largest charity helping Indigenous peoples. He is known for getting the most corporate support for an Indigenous cause in Canada. Over two decades, John raised about $80 million for the awards and the foundation. The Foundation is now called Indspire, and the Awards are called the Indspire Awards.

In 2008, John suggested a plan for a $250 million loan program for First Nations in Ontario. The government put this plan into action in 2010.

John Kim Bell is also a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.

Helping Businesses (Consultancy)

From 1988 to 2005, John Bell was the president of a company called Ariontha Inc. In 2006, he started his own company, Bell & Bernard Limited. In 2009, he helped create the Enbridge School Plus Program. This program supports extra activities and special learning programs in First Nations schools. Today, Mr. Bell is one of Canada's top experts who helps First Nations communities with energy projects. He is the President & CEO of Bell & Bernard Limited.

Serving on Boards

John Kim Bell has been a member of many important boards. These include the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, and the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada. He also served on boards for the Canadian Institute for Health Research and the City of Toronto's bid for the 2008 Olympic Games. Currently, John is a supporter and the Arts Jury Chair for Indigenous Arts & Stories. This is a writing and visual arts competition for Indigenous youth.

Awards and Honors

  • He became a Member of the Order of Canada in 1990 and an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1997. In 2003, he became a Member of the Order of Ontario.
  • He received the Royal Bank Award for Canadian Achievement in 1998.
  • He won the Canadian Conference of the Arts Keith Kelly Award for Cultural Leadership in 2002.
  • He was named Outstanding National Cultural Leader in 2003 by the Canadian Conference of the Arts.
  • He received the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.

John Bell also won two Gemini Awards for the amazing sets he designed for the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards shows.

Honorary Degrees

John Kim Bell has received six honorary degrees from different universities across Canada. An honorary degree is a special award given by a university to someone who has achieved great things, even if they didn't study there.

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