News From the Hartt Dean's Office
November 14, 2007

Eighth Annual van Rooy Competition for Musical Excellence Awards $18,000 in Cash Prizes to Three Hartt Students

Hartt School students Emily Jane Taubl, Anna Griffis and Daniel Mumbauer were the winners of three cash prizes in the eighth annual van Rooy Competition for Musical Excellence. The competition, held at the University of Hartford on Sunday, Nov. 11, was open to all undergraduate instrumental performance majors at Hartt. The applicants to the competition were narrowed down via two preliminary rounds to six finalists, and then finally the three prize-winners.
           
Emily Jane Taubl, who won the Grand Prize of $10,000, is a freshman cello performance major from Bridgeport, CT.  She studies with Mihai Tetel.  At the age of twelve, Ms. Taubl was accepted into the Juilliard pre-college program.  Four years later, she entered the Yale School of Music where she received a certificate in cello performance.  Ms. Taubl has soloed with the Juilliard Symphony, the Boston Virtuosi and the New England String Ensemble.

Anna Griffis, a senior who studies violin with Anton Miller, was awarded the Second Prize of $5,000.  Ms. Griffis hails from Annapolis, MD. The Third Prize of $3,000 went to Daniel Mumbauer, a sophomore saxophone performance major who studies with Carrie Koffman.  Mr. Mumbauer hails from Broadway, VA.

The competition was adjudicated by Edward Cumming, Music Director of the Hartford Symphony; Leonid Sigal, Concertmaster of the Hartford Symphony and Richard Chiarappa, founding music director of the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

Classical music to Jean-Pierre and Marie-Claire van Rooy “was the only music we were and are still listening to.  Our children heard only classical music at home.  We believe in excellence and we wanted to create this legacy while supporting The Hartt School and the University of Hartford.”  The van Rooy Competition for Musical Excellence was established in 2000 by these two generous benefactors to promote musical excellence by helping young musicians pursue their ambitions. 

Marie-Claire van Rooy serves on The Hartt School Board of Directors.  Jean-Pierre van Rooy has served as president of Carrier Corporation’s international division and president and chairman of Otis Elevator Company.  He is currently president of Special Olympics Europe-Eurasia, headquartered in Brussels, and serves on the board of Special Olympics International in Washington, D.C.  He is also on the board of directors of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center and Bristol Hospital, and is a trustee of the Wadsworth Atheneum and Miss Porter’s School in Farmington.

Purchase tickets online

Senior Dance Concert, Nov 30- Dec 1

The University of Hartford, in collaboration with the Charter Oak Cultural Center, presents the Hartt School Dance Division’s, Senior Dance Concert.  The evening will feature premiere works by Senior Dance Composition students Jenna Dannenberger, Caitlin Doody, Danielle Harper, Cassandra Malizia and Heather Lombardo, as well as solo works by guest choreographers Lorelei Li Chang, James Robey, Katie Stevinson-Nollet and Paul Monaghan.  The performance will be held at the Charter Oak Cultural Center, 21 Charter Oak Ave, Hartford on November 30 and December 1, at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $20 general admission, $10 seniors, $5 U of H faculty, staff and students.  Reservations: 860.249.1207

Senior works include Elongate THIS, a fierce and quirky new work by Heather Lombardo, set to music by Johnny Greenwood showing the boundaries of two drastically different, yet complimentary movement styles; a premiere composition by Caitlin Doody, showing off her version of abstract movement for women, set to the powerful music of Bartok; Feast Your Eyes, done by Cassandra Malizia to Maiz by Murcof challenges the audience with unpredictable moments that demonstrate the strength and ability of women; One of a Kind, choreographed to the music of Vitamin String Quartet by Danielle Harper explores the development and dynamics of natural energy; The Beckoning, a story that follows a family expressing their reactions in a time of fear, choreographed by Jenna Dannenberger to music by Scanner.

Solo works featured are Stormy Blues a premier work by Katie Stevinson-Nollet, Artistic Director of Full Force Dance Theatre, set to the sultry music of Billie Holiday and performed by Heather Lombardo; a dance premier by Lorelei Li Chang uses an abstract modern style to depict the life of a sea creature and features Caitlin Doody; Quelqu’un M’a Dit (Somebody Told Me) a riveting new work choreographed by Paul Monaghan to Carla Bruni’s Quelqu’un M’a Dit and performed by Cassandra Malizia; Danielle Harper is featured in The Wind that Shakes, a culturally expressive solo work choreographed by James Robey.

Photo by Thomas Giroir

Purchase tickets online

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Piano Sale at Hartt Nov. 23-25

The Hartt School will hold a private sale of its current stock of pianos from Friday through Sunday following Thanksgiving, November 23-25, in Konover.  This sale also will feature an impressive selection of new and used grands, baby grands, vertical, digital and player pianos.  Featured brand names include Kawai, Mason Hamlin, Baldwin, Yamaha, Roland, and more.  Most of these high quality instruments are a year old or less, and will be sold at liquidation prices, well below retail with manufacturer warranties.

For several years The Hartt School has enjoyed a special relationship with Kawai America Corporation and its acting agent, The Piano and Organ Warehouse.  These organizations provide new pianos for Hartt’s use, giving students the opportunity to practice and perform on high quality instruments.  Hartt is able to maintain a high standard of excellence and remain competitive in the ever-growing field of music, while saving a significant amount that would otherwise have to be spent on new pianos. 

To schedule a personal appointment, call 877.838.5031.  Delivery and financing are available. 

A Lecture with Peter Sklar: So You Want to be a Performer! Nov 17

Peter Sklar will offer a complimentary lecture, entitled “So You Want To Be A Performer” on Saturday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium.

The free talk will provide life-changing insights into the relationship between self-esteem, health and professional success, with a behind-the-scenes look at the causes of eating disorders, stage mothers,
industry scams, and the role of talent agents and casting directors.

“So You Want to be a Performer” is based on Sklar’s three decades of personal experience with young performers, a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard, and his long list of successful protégés who include Sara Jessica Parker, Reese Witherspoon, Mischa Barton, and many others. Sklar has been the subject of multiple feature-length articles in the New York Times, appeared as a guest expert on Donahue, was recently interviewed on E! True Hollywood Story, and has had his work presented on
the Bravo Channel, Good Morning America, and in dozens of media outlets.  He’s currently developing a musical entitled The Kid Who Played the Palace, to be directed by William Martin.

Reservations are required.  Please call 860.768.4451.  Please note that no one will be able to enter the lecture late. 

Hartt Students and Faculty Appear in Hartford Stage’s A Christmas Carol, Nov. 23 – Dec. 29

The Hartt School is a proud production sponsor of Hartford Stage’s 10th Anniversary production of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic A Christmas Carol, running Nov. 23 to Dec. 29.  The production features Theatre Division faculty members Johanna Morrison as The Ghost of Christmas Past and Robert Davis as Bob Cratchit.  Actor Training seniors Danielle Barry, Matt Faucher, Colin Gold, Stephanie LaRiviere, Kaitlin Marrin, Maya Stojan, , Amanda Tudor and Virginia Welch, and Music Theatre seniors Michael Angelo Morlani and Kit Treece are also in the Christmas Carol ensemble.  For more information, visit Hartford Stage’s web site. (www.hartfordstage.com)

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES

Assistant Professor of Violin Katie Lansdale recently performed as part of the artist-in-residence program at the University of Central Arkansas on October 29.  Lansdale, accompanied with a piano and cello, performed Igor Stravinsky's ballet music, including Ballade, Russian Dance and selections from the Firebird.  In the hour-and-a-half recital, Lansdale played 14 songs in front of UCA faculty and students, giving introductions of songs prior to each performance.  "We had a great time with wonderful partners," Lansdale said. "I'm obsessed with [Stravinsky's] pieces."
(Log Cabin Democrat, Nov. 5)

Former Faculty Gerry Mack is currently serving as the executive director to the Nantucket Community Music Center.  He was mentioned for his work in gaining the performance of the Michigan Men’s Glee Club for an upcoming performance.  His work has allowed the group to come to Nantucket, making it the largest musical organization outside the Boston Pops to come to the area.  Mack served as director of choral activities for Hartt for 27 years. 
(The Inquirer and Mirror, Nov. 7)

Bassist Nat Reeves, faculty member in Hartt’s Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, is once again pulling out his passport for a whirlwind tour of Europe.  He’ll appear with the Pharoah Sanders Quartet at the Guimaraes Jazz Festival in Portugal on Nov. 8.  He heads back to the States for a gig with the Javon Jackson Super Band in West Palm Beach on Nov. 27, then rejoins Pharoah Sanders for performances in Paris, Amsterdam, London and Ireland in January.

STUDENT & ALUMNI NEWS

Student Erica Clayton was recently featured in the Wilton Bulletin as a performer with the Ridgefield Symphony Junior Orchestra as they begin their 2007-08 season with a performance on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 4 p.m. at Ridgefield High School.
(The Wilton Bulletin, Nov. 6)

Constance McDonough-Thayer, a former Nantucket Junior Miss Pageant winner, recently passed along her crown at the 2007 pageant competition on November 3.  McDonough-Thayer, a guitar performance major at Hartt, also sang an original song by Chris Meredith, who wrote all the music for the program. McDonough-Thayer played co-host to Sherry Davey, a professional comedienne hired this year to act as master of ceremonies for the event. 
(The Inquirer and Mirror, Nov. 4)

Alumnus Cornell MacNeil was featured in a full story about his life in the world of opera, primarily that of his work with the Metropolitan Opera in the late 1970’s and early 80’s.  MacNeil studied with retired baritone Friedrich Schorr on a full scholarship before continuing his career in New York City and abroad. 
(Opera News Online, November 2007)

Jeffrey Noonan (BM, 1977) recently announced his book The Guitar in America: Victorian Parlor to Jazz Age to be published in January 2008 by the University Press of Mississippi as part of its "American Made Music Series." The book examines the classical guitar in America from 1880 to the mid-1930s and documents the Banjo, Mandolin & Guitar Movement and the numerous guitarists, composers, teachers, publishers, and instrument manufacturers who comprised this uniquely American musical community.  Noonan received his degree in Classical Guitar and currently sits on the faculty at Southeast Missouri State University. 

James Frazier (MM, 1977) announces the publication of his full-length biography, Maurice Duruflé: The Man and His Music. The book has been published by the University of Rochester Press as part of the Eastman Studies in Music. It is available online through many vendors. While a student at Hartt, Frazier was awarded a Fulbright Grant to study with Duruflé, organist and composer of the famed Requiem, and with his wife, Marie-Madeleine Duruflé, a formidable organist in her own right. For ten years Frazier was Director of Music for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. He is now the Organist and Director of Music at St John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he plays a four-manual EM Skinner organ and conducts a semi-professional choir.

Read the Community Division's Newsletter

The Alturas Duo will perform on Sunday, November 18 at 3:00 p.m. in a performance entitled “Latin Music Celebration” at Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway and 66th Street in NYC.  The Alturas Duo is comprised of Hartt Community Division Faculty Members Carlos Boltes (viola) & Scott Hill (guitar).