News From the Hartt Dean's Office
March 7, 2007

Miami String Quartet, March 8

The Miami String Quartet will present their first Hartt concert of 2007 on Thursday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Lincoln Theater. The concert also marks the first appearance by the Quartet's new violist, Yu Jin. Ms. Jin brings her elegant artistry along with an impeccable resume with her to the group. She replaces longtime violist Chauncey Patterson who has retired from the quartet due to medical reasons. Hartt's quartet-in-residence will be joined by guest oboist Humbert Lucarelli for Mozart's Quartet for Oboe and Strings in F Major. The evening's program also includes Godfrey's String Quartet No. 3 and Shubert's Quartet for Strings in d minor, No. 14, D810 Death and the Maiden.

University of Hartford students, faculty and staff receive a free ticket to this event, and a $3 discount on additional tickets. Admission is $20 for the general public with discounts for University of Hartford alumni, senior citizens, educators, students and groups.

Prior to the concert, there will be a dinner and interview with a member of the Miami String Quartet and a performance by a student ensemble. The dinner will be held at 6 p.m. in the 1877 Club in the University of Hartford's Harry Jack Grey Center. Dinner tickets are $39.

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Hartt Symphony Band and Wind Ensemble

The Hartt School presents a concert by the Hartt Symphony Band and the Hartt Wind Ensemble on Friday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Millard Auditorium on the University of Hartford campus in West Hartford. This concert includes works by Ticheli, Vaughan Willams, Persichetti, Schwantner, Zivkovic, and Hartt faculty composer Joseph Turrin. Featured in this performance are guest conductors Anne Tortora and Jacob Wilson, as well as guest percussionist Ben Toth. Admission is $20, with discounts for seniors, students, and groups.

Purchase tickets online...

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

The Hartt School Advisory Board Parents' Committee is hosting a Parents' Night Reception on Friday, April 6, at the University's 1877 Club. Come join Malcolm Morrison, Dean of The Hartt School, for an informal "Meet and Greet" session prior to a 7:30 p.m. performance by the Hartt Symphony Orchestra. Light refreshments will be served. Tickets to the Hartt Symphony are free, and will be available at the reception. RSVP to 860.768.4862 or by email.

Sean Pallatroni, a first year student at The Hartt School, wrote pieces for Falling Into Place, a musical performance by first year musical theater majors at Carnegie Mellon. Falling Into Place primarily addressed relationships and the struggle to figure out the metaphorical "next step" in life.
The Tartan , Feb. 19

A recording of the world premiere of a new work by Charles Norman Mason, Prelude to Play: Mood Music for the City Council, performed by the Miami String Quartet, Hartt's quartet-in-residence, aired on the Feb. 19 broadcast of American Public Media's program "Performance Today". Commissioned by the Birmingham Chamber Music Society, the Birmingham-Southern College professor's work was premiered in front of the Birmingham City Council on Feb. 6.
Performance Today, Feb. 19

Hartt's Audition Festival Collage Concert was presented on Feb. 16 and 17, featuring performances by Faculty and students from all of Hartt's performing departments.
The Informer, Feb. 22

UNIVERSITY 50TH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS

Ethel Bacon, long-time archivist at the University, and a Hartt alumnus and former faculty member, was profiled in the Hartford Courant as part of its coverage of the University's 50th anniversary. The article highlighted Bacon, who has been with the University of Hartford since its beginning and remembers well the past triumphs and struggles of the institution.
The Hartford Courant, Feb. 21

Throughout 2007, UNotes Daily will celebrate the University of Hartford's 50th anniversary with "Video Clips of the Week," featuring short excerpts of interviews with members of the University community. The first video clip features Regent and Hartt supporter Grace Ellsworth, who describes her journey from suburban housewife to becoming one of the University's founders.
UNotes Daily, Feb. 20

A Day in the Life

A giant photo collage documenting "A Day in the Life" of the University of Hartford - from dorm rooms to science labs to dance studios - was unveiled on Feb. 20 in Suisman Lounge, Gengras Student Union. To commemorate the University's 50th anniversary, members of the University community were asked to take photos of life on campus during a 24-hour period on Nov. 14 and 15, 2006. Thousands of photos were submitted - many were taken with disposable cameras that were distributed to students, faculty, and staff, and others were taken with digital cameras and submitted by email. "It's just a fun way to capture what the University is like 50 years after its founding," President Harrison said at the unveiling.

Both the "Day in the Life" photo collage and a giant timeline of the University's history, which is hanging on the other side of Suisman Lounge, will remain on display through Commencement. The walls on which the collage and the timeline are hanging have been permanently set aside as student art space.

The exhibit includes many photos of a Day in the Life of The Hartt School - with photos of classes, rehearsals, the costume and scene shops, and the Community Division's Simsmore Square location. To view photos from the "Day in the Life" project, visit the University's 50th anniversary website.

Founders Day, Feb. 21

From a 1950s-themed birthday bash to a boisterous basketball game and an elegant dessert social, the University marked its 50th birthday with spirited celebrations on February 21. Students from Hartt's Music Theatre program donned poodle skirts and leather jackets to dance while a DJ spun tunes at the Hartford Bandstand, and faculty member Steve Davis led an ensemble of students from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz.
UNotes Daily, Feb. 23

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES

The Avery Ensemble will be performing on Sunday, March 11 at 5 p.m. with guest Leonid Sigal (Concertmaster, Hartford Symphony) at the Bethany Covenant Church in Berlin, CT. Ensemble members include alumna and violinist Annie Trepanier (AD Violin Performance '00, GPD Violin Performance '03) and faculty member Steve Larson on viola, plus cellist Hans Twitchell and pianist Adriana Jarvis. The program will include Schubert's Quartetsatz, Piano Quartets by Mahler & Schnittke, and the Piano Quintet by Robert Schumann. Freewill offering accepted. For more information, please call 860.828.3637.

New Haven's Firehouse 12 will open its 2007 Spring Jazz Series on March 16th with a two-set performance by the Steve Davis Quintet. Trombonist Davis is a faculty member in Hartt's Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz.
All About Jazz, Feb. 16

The United States Marine Band performed Professor of Composition and Theory Stephen Gryc's Evensong for solo trumpet and wind ensemble at a concert given Feb. 18 at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park. Captain Michelle Rakers conducted, and the trumpet soloist was Sergeant Michael Mergen. Professor Gryc traveled to the Washington, DC, area to attend a rehearsal and the concert. In 2004 the Marine Band performed Gryc's Masquerade Variations on its tour of the western United States.

On March 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Belding Theater of the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra will devote the first half of their concert to Stephen Gryc's Fanfare for a Noble Rebel and the premiere of his recent trombone concerto Passaggi. Maestro Edward Cumming will conduct, and the concerto will feature soloist Joseph Alessi, principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic. This concert is part of the HSO's Classical Conversations series, and host Robert Greenberg will discuss the music and conduct an on-stage interview with Gryc. Please call HSO at 860.244.2999 or visit their website for tickets.

Make Me a Song, the revue of William Finn tunes that wowed critics and fans when it played Hartford last fall will move to Off-Broadway's Zipper Theatre for an April 6 first preview. The team that created the eclectic Finn show at TheaterWorks will reunite, including Hartt School Theater Division faculty member Michael Morris as musical director.
Playbill, Feb. 22

ALUMNI NEWS

Gabriel Lofvall (MMus Piano Performance '02) was included in the February 2007 issue of Hartford Magazine in an article entitled "Romantic Gift Providers" which featured unique Valentine's Day gift ideas. Lofvall, a Tango singer and pianist, said, "Many tangos are about lost or unrequited relations ships. And some are about happy, blissful love."

Composer Gwyneth Walker (MMus '70) returned to New Canaan for a local celebration on Feb. 25, which First Selectman Jusy Neville declared as Gwyneth Walker Day. The Congregational Church of New Canaan honored Walker when the choirs performed five of her songs at the church's worship services. Walker considers the Congregational Church the home of her music and her faith.
New Canaan Advertiser, Feb. 20

The Cantate Chamber Choir, under the direction of Stephan Barnicle (BMus Voice '70, MMus Ed '74), will be performing in honor of Women's History Month. Barnicle, music director at Saint Patrick's Catholic Church in Fayetteville, NC, noted the Cantate Chamber Choir will be performing songs for women, about women, and written for women, with most of the pieces written by Gywneth Walker (MMus '70).
Up & Coming Weekly, Feb. 21

Bernadette Baker (BMus Violin '94) moved to Melbourne, Australia in August of 2005 with her husband, Lachlan McDonald. Baker teaches violin privately and at Parkville Music School in Melbourne. She also is a violinist in the Melbourne Opera Orchestra. Since moving to Melbourne, she has performed in Die Fledermaus, La Traviata, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, and Madame Butterfly. At the end of 2006, she recorded her first CD entitled You Asked For It. The independent CD is comprised of requests from friends and family and contains almost 60 minutes of classical standards. Although she misses her friends and family back in the States, she enjoys the great city of Melbourne and everything it has to offer.

Lynne Marie Camenga (MMus '01) announced her engagement and plans to marry in the Fall of 2008. She is currently the director and teacher at the Encore School for Strings in Longmeadow, MA.
The Republican, Feb. 24

Amy Dankowski (MMus Flute '99) was recently appointed Archivist with The Cleveland Orchestra. Amy worked in the Allen Library while a student of John Wion's at Hartt, and upon graduation was appointed Allen Library Circulation Assistant. She later moved back to Ohio and pursued a Masters in Library Science. While attending Kent State University, she was employed as Materials Preparation Assistant in the Oberlin College/Conservatory Library. Amy serves as the Webmaster for the Music Library Association.

The Alturas Duo won the 2006 Wammies (WAMA, Washington (DC) Area Music Awards) for the best Classical Recording, with the album Celebrating Sacred Rhythms ( NAXOS ) in collaboration with The Choral Arts Society of Washington DC. The Duo is comprised of Carlos Boltes (GPD '04) and Scott Hill (GPD '04), both faculty members in The Hartt School Community Division. For more Information visit: the website.

Read the Community Division's Newsletter

The 9th Annual Ted Hershey Dance and Music Marathon, March 10-17

The Hartt School Dance Division, The Hartt School Community Division and Full Force Dance Theatre will appear in a performance marathon on March 17 as part of the 9th Annual Ted Hershey Dance and Music Marathon. Hartford's performing artists will come together for the 9th consecutive year to pay tribute to the life and work of Ted Hershey, who died of AIDS in 1998. As a principal dancer with the Hartford Ballet and co-founder of WORKS contemporary dance, his vision was to make the arts a vital part of the life of his city. Each year the Marathon starts on the weekend of the changing of the clocks, thus celebrating both the increase in sunlight and Hershey's legacy. This year's Marathon theme is Heritage - honoring our inheritance from those who came before, and our teachers - people and events that guide and shape our lives.

The Marathon Dance Concert will be held on Saturday, March 17 from 7 to 11 p.m. at Charter Oak Cultural Center in, Hartford. This four-hour celebration of Ted Hershey's life and art includes video footage of Ted performing and performances by more then 25 of Hartford's finest dancers and companies, representing the city's extraordinary range of cultures and styles will be on the program. Featured artists represent: Adam Miller Dance Project, Allonge Dance Variations, Artists Collective, Asian Performing Arts, Ballet Theatre Company, Cultural Dance Troupe of the West Indies, Figments Youth Dance Ensemble, Full Force Dance Theater, Hartford Conservatory, The Hartt School, The Hartt School Community Division, Hugh Blumenfeld, Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble, Leela Dance Theater, Mi Casa, Miss Porter's School, New England Ballet, Nutmeg Ballet, O'D N' TAP, Sankofa Kuumba Cultural Arts Consortium, Scapegoat Garden, Sonia Plumb Dance Company, Spectrum in Motion Dance Theater Ensemble, Underground Coalition, Works/Laura Glenn Dance Alumni Brad Roth, Bonita Weisman, Lisa Matias and Paul Dennis.

For a complete schedule of events, visit the Marathon's website. Admission is $25 general admission; $10 for students. To order tickets, call the Marathon at 860.833.5733 or Charter Oak Cultural Center at 860.249.1207. AIDS Project Hartford will receive a portion of the Box Office of the Marathon at Charter Oak Cultural Center. Remaining proceeds will help underwrite the cost of producing the celebration.