"Renée Anne Louprette, one of New York’s finest organists" - NY Times

Congratulations to Hartt alumna Renée Anne Louprette.  Her recording, BACH: ‘THE GREAT 18 CHORALES’ (Acis Productions, two CDs), was just highlighted in the NY Times article - Classical Critics Pick the Top Music Recordings of 2014.  A well-deserved recognition.

Renée's website is http://www.reneeannelouprette.com.  Click here to get to it directly.  A link to the NY Times article is here.

Fall 2014 Streaming Performances From Hartt

You can visit the Hartt website shortly before each performance to start the streaming performance.

 

The Halloween Concert with the Hartt Orchestra, Hartt Wind Ensemble, and Hartt Symphony Band

Friday, October 31, 2014, 10:30 pm

Alfred C. Fuller Music Center F Millard Auditorium

 

Saxophone Studio Recital - Adolphe Sax's 200th Birthday

Thursday, November 6, 2014, 7:30 pm

Alfred C. Fuller Music Center F Millard Auditorium

 

Senior Dance Concert

Saturday, November 8, 2014, 7:30 pm

Handel Performing Arts Center HPAC Roberts Theater

 

Evening with Guitar

Thursday, November 20, 2014, 8 pm

Alfred C. Fuller Music Center F Berkman Recital Hall

 

Hartt Big Band

Friday, November 21, 2014, 7:30 pm

Alfred C. Fuller Music Center F Millard Auditorium

 

Hartt Dances

Saturday, November 22, 2014, 7:30 pm

Lincoln Theater

 

Jazz Vocal Recital

Sunday, November 23, 2014, 3 pm

Alfred C. Fuller Music Center F Millard Auditorium

 

Hartt Jazz Ensembles

Thursday, December 4, 2014, 7:30 pm

Lincoln Theater

 

Hartt Jazz Ensembles

Friday, December 5, 2014, 7:30 pm

Lincoln Theater

 

Percussion Ensemble

Saturday, December 6, 2014, 7:30 pm

Alfred C. Fuller Music Center F Millard Auditorium

 

Foot in the Door

Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 7:30 pm

Lincoln Theater

 

Collegium Musicum

Thursday, December 11, 2014, 8 pm

Alfred C. Fuller Music Center F Berkman Recital Hall

 

Hartt Orchestra

Friday, December 12, 2014, 7:30 pm

Lincoln Theater

 

Hartt Wind Ensemble and Hartt Symphony Band

Saturday, December 13, 2014, 7:30 pm

Lincoln Theater

 

Performance 20/20

Sunday, December 14, 2014, 5 pm

Alfred C. Fuller Music Center F Berkman Recital Hall

An Embarrassment of Riches - Fall 2014 Master Classes at Hartt

Hartt is in the midst of an amazing semester of visiting artists - an embarrassment of riches for the students.

So far this year, the master classes have included:

Oscar Ghiglia - guitar
Classical guitar legend and founder of the Guitar Department at the Aspen Festival, the Festival de Musique des Arcs and the “Incontri Chitarristici di Gargnano,”  He has been artist in residence, or visiting professor in such centers as the Cincinnati and San Francisco conservatories, Julliard, the Hartt School, and Northwestern University.

Christine Brewer - soprano
Grammy Award-winning American soprano.  Her appearances in opera, concert, and recital are marked by her own unique timbre, at once warm and brilliant, combined with a vibrant personality and emotional honesty reminiscent of the great sopranos of the past. Named one of the top 20 sopranos of all time (BBC Music), her range, golden tone, boundless power, and control make her a favorite of the stage and a highly sought-after recording artist, one who is 'in her prime and sounding glorious' (Anthony Tommasini, New York Times).


Russell Malone - jazz guitar
Malone began working with Jimmy Smith in 1988 and went on to work with Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall throughout the 1990s.

Stephen Schwatrz - music theatre
Oscar, Grammy, Drama Desk, and Golden Globe Award winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, and many more).

Still to come this semester:

Misty Copeland - dance
American Ballet Theatre soloist Misty Copeland, who has been attracting national media attention for her talent, perseverance, and message of equality in the world of ballet, comes to Hartt to present a master class to Hartt’s dance students and invited guests. 

Randy Brecker - jazz trumpeter and composer.
Mr. Brecker has helped shape the sound of jazz, R&B, and rock for more than four decades. His trumpet and flugelhorn performances have graced hundreds of albums by a wide range of artists from James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, and Parliament/Funkadelic to Frank Sinatra, Steely Dan, Jaco Pastorius, and Frank Zappa.

Kenny Washington - jazz vocalist virtuoso.
Emulating the classic styles of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan and infusing colors of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, Kenny's free, playful approach, with over a four-octave range is awe inspiring.

The Chiara Quartet - string quartet
One of America's premier young ensembles, is in residence at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Harvard University. They will present a chamber music masterclass and mini concert at which they will perform a string quartet of Bela Bartok from memory.

5 Questions with Emily Davidson

Emily Davidson (B.M. ‘10) studied Cello Performance at Hartt from 2006 to 2010.  She is currently living in Boston.

What have you been up to since you graduated from Hartt?

After studying at Hartt, I continued on to the Longy School of Music of Bard College to study Early Music Performance. Since completing my Master’s, I've been freelancing in the Boston area as both a performer and a teacher. There’s a thriving early music scene here in Boston, so I often play in chamber music concerts with various local groups in addition to my own solo projects. In the last two years I released and self-produced two solo albums, BASS SOUNDS, which focus on unaccompanied cello music from the baroque period. The first album featured 17th century pieces by Domenico Gabrielli and Giovanni Battista Degli Antonii, and included the first Cello Suite by J.S. Bach to hear more familiar repertoire in a new context. I followed with BASS SOUNDS: Evolved this past July which explored 18th century unaccompanied pieces by Joseph Marie Clément Dall’Abaco and Friedrich Dotzauer. Evolved included the second Bach Cello Suite in D minor. Both are available at http://emilyplayscello.bandcamp.com.

What are you involved with right now?

5 Questions with Jackie Martino

Jackie Martino (B.M. 1992) studied Musical Theater Direction and Music Education at Hartt from 1987 to 1992.  She is currently living in Norwalk, CT.

What have you been up to since you graduated from Hartt?

Wow, it has been a long time.  After graduating Hartt, I went through the struggle that many college graduates do, in trying to find work in their field.  However, after an early 20’s struggle, I started teaching piano, voice, and guitar in a studio for about 8 years.  At this same time I continued writing and recording music. In 1999, I got my Masters degree for S.U.N.Y. Purchase in studio composition and released my first CD Run.  I performed with my band and solo in festivals and venues across the United States.  My most notable gigs were probably the Bitter End and the Hard Rock Cafe in NYC.  In 2001, I began teaching at the King School in Stamford where I am today.  I started teaching middle school choir and theater.  Currently, I am the department chair for the performing arts department and I teach choir, piano, guitar, and direct and music direct the musical in the high school.  In January of 2014, I received my Doctorate in Music Education from Boston University.  My dissertation was an Action Research on Critical Pedagogy and Informal Music Learning with 8th grade general music students.

What are you involved with right now?

Right now, in addition to working, I am very passionate about an El Sistema music program I am working with in Brazil called Orquestrando a Vida.  El Sistema provides music education to children who live in very poor communities.  It began in Venezuela and they are all over the world.  I have been involved with this particular one since 2012.  It is located in Campos Brazil.  Because the program is an NGO, it is constantly struggling to keep the doors open.  I have been there four times since 2012 and started teaching choral music.  It has since continued the vocal program and has choirs that perform. I hope everyone reading this will remember how important music is in their own lives and understand that there are people all over the world who do not have the same opportunities we have because of their economic status.

I hope you will all take a moment to look at my gofundme page, and pass it on to every music educator you know.  We are about spreading the word of this great program. www.gofundme/orquestrandoavida 

As you can see I am pretty passionate about it.

What is one of your most memorable things about your time at Hartt?

Musical America Recognizes Hartt as one of the Top 50 Music Schools in the World

In a special report, Music America recently recognized Hartt as one of the Top 50 Music Schools in the World.  This is a great testament to the great work of Hartt's faculty and the professional success of the alumni.

To view the publication, click here.

Moshe Paranov on the Competence of Teachers

The following is an excerpt from an online publication called “The Rhythm of Successful Teaching,” by Hartt alumnus Larry D. Allen.

Mr. Allen was Principal of Boone Grove Middle School in Boone Grove, Indiana. He also taught and conducted at the college and university level at Trinity College (Hartford, Connecticut), The Hartt School, Central Connecticut State University, Valparaiso University, VanderCook College of Music, Duquesne University, and Villanova University.  Among his degrees, Mr. Allen earned a Masters of Music Degree in oboe performance with Bert Lucarelli at the Hartt.

In this section of his publication, called Competence and Incompetence, Mr. Allen relays some stories about Moshe Paranov and his philosophy of teaching music.

Competence and Incompetence

One of the mysteries about teaching in public schools is that almost all of our gurus and geniuses throughout history that daily receive universal respect and admiration would not legally qualify to be our child's teacher.

Moshe Paranov

Moshe Paranov was a musical guru who provided outstanding leadership at the Hartt School throughout most of the 20th century. He and his team of outstanding teachers developed an idea: to build an outstanding school of music in the greater Hartford, Connecticut area to international acclaim and respect. Moshe’s official title was Dr. Moshe Paranov, President of the Hartt School of Music of the University of Hartford. All the children knew him as “Uncle” Moshe. He was active into his 90’s as the Artist-in-Residence for the schools in Glastonbury, Simsbury, and Torrington, Connecticut. Imagine being in demand as a teacher at 90 years young.

The reality of Dr. Paranov’s talent began to unfold in his high school years, as he entered the principal’s office one morning requesting that the principal give him permission to attend school daily for the balance of his high school year beginning at 10:30 a.m. so that he would have time to practice the piano at home from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. With little hesitation the principal presented Dr. Paranov with the bad news regarding the request even though there was strong parental support.

With that decision, Dr. Paranov moved on with his life, left school and proceeded to practice four hours per day from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and over the years became a legend without his high school diploma. He built one of the most respected music schools in the world, and he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Philadelphia Music Academy.

Over the years Dr. Paranov interviewed hundreds of candidates to teach in his highly respected school. His mantra was, “play first and then we will talk.” If the candidate played well, the hiring took place immediately. If the candidate could not play well, there was no talking just a painful silence that communicated the message.

Each year there was an opening meeting at the Hartt School of Music where all the faculty would return after a hearty summer of touring, recording, and many exciting musical performances. Dr. Paranov would command the open meeting with humor, enthusiasm, and commitment. The opening speech went like this each year:

I want to welcome you all back to another season of excellence. What I want from each of you teachers is to know “what have you done today to help each of your students and what have you done today to make yourself a more competent musician and a more competent teacher.”

5 Questions with Jamie Dubberly

Jamie Dubberly (M. Mus. 1992), studied trombone performance at Hartt from 1990 to 1995.  He is currently living in Modesto, CA. 

What have you been up to since you graduated from Hartt?  

Wow, it’s been a while! I moved to NYC for a few years after Hartt (1997-2003), and performed with many musical theater tours in the U.S., Europe and Asia while keeping a NYC address.  I also formed a large jazz ensemble there, and was involved with some big bands, Latin bands, and orchestras while not on the tours. One highlight for me personally while living in NYC was scoring the music for a play called “Utopians,” by the group The Flying Machine, which was part of the International Fringe Festival in 1998. It was well received by the press, and was an incredible experience collaborating with those guys to write music that fit into the “world” of that work. The show was extended past the original run for more than a month!  In 2003 I moved to Northern California and began freelancing and teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area. I started to become involved with the large Latin music scene there as well as with jazz ensembles, orchestras, and other groups.  I formed my own Latin jazz ensemble in 2009, after becoming increasingly involved with Afro-Cuban music in the Bay Area, and released an album called “Road Warrior,” in 2011 with my band - Orquesta Dharma.

What are you involved with right now?

Right now I am a member of a few groups based in the Bay area. Pacific Mambo Orchestra is a large Afro-Cuban jazz and salsa/mambo group that I have been with since its inception a few years ago, and was fortunate enough to win a Grammy award this year, for their first recording “Pacific Mambo Orchestra!”  I also am a member of Avance, which is a San Francisco based salsa band, Realistic Orchestra, a very modern and progressive big band, and I play principal trombone in an opera orchestra in Modesto (where I currently live) called the Townsend Opera. I also play with various other Bay area jazz, Latin and classical groups, and sometimes perform in the pit orchestra for touring broadway shows in Sacramento.  (I ran into classmate Philip Boykin last summer in “Show Boat!”)   Currently, I am in the midst of releasing the 2nd album with Orquesta Dharma, called “La Clave del Gumbo,” which fuses New Orleans brass band music with Afro-Cuban jazz and salsa. I also am teaching trombone and low brass, various classroom courses, and ensembles at California State University- Stanislaus (Turlock), and University of the Pacific (Stockton). 

What is one of your most memorable things about your time at Hartt?

There are several memorable things for me about being at Hartt. The Hartt Honors Trombone Quartet, which competed nationally at the Fischoff (South Bend) and Coleman (Pasadena) chamber music competitions, was a really great and fun experience thanks to our amazing teacher, Ronald Borror.  Being involved with the Jazz program by playing

5 Questions with Jason Adams

Jason Adams (B.M. 1993), studied Trumpet Performance and Music Education at Hartt from 1988 to 1993.  He is currently living in Houston, TX.

What have you been up to since you graduated from Hartt?

After Hartt, I took a stint playing trumpet on a cruise ship, many thanks to Steve Davis for forcing me to improvise a bit while I played in the Big Band at Hartt, he saved me from total embarrassment! I then moved to NY and pursued a Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Chris Gekker, who was also my trumpet teacher at Hartt, along with Roger Murtha. I owe these two men a lot! After eight years as a band director in Massachusetts, where I also played with the Springfield Symphony, I moved to Houston, Texas for family reasons and because it is a wonderful place to teach and play music.

What are you involved with right now?

I currently teach a large studio of private students and play around Houston, Texas. I appear regularly with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra Brass Quintet and at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart with the Cathedral Brass. I teach trumpet at San Jacinto College, as well as in schools in the Spring, Klein, and Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School Districts.

What is one of your most memorable things about your time at Hartt?

Besides hanging out in the Millard lobby with my friends and working for Walter Gibson moving racks of music stands around the school, you mean? There are so many snapshots.

In my Freshman year, Dr. John Feierabend telling all the performance majors who were also pursuing music education “as a back-up plan in case performing didn’t work out” that they needed to come up with another plan, ha!

Wednesday morning trumpet lessons with Roger Murtha tapping tempo on the music stand with his pencil, and occasionally on my arm if I wasn’t paying enough attention.

5 Questions with Eugene Cantera

Eugene Cantera (B.M. ‘81) studied music education at Hartt from 1977 to 1981.  He is currently living in Carrollton, Texas.  

What have you been up to since you graduated from Hartt?

I worked at the Hartt Community Division for over 10 years beginning shortly after I graduated. I've always enjoyed one-on-one teaching and performing and managed to stay busy doing both in and around Hartford through the early 90’s.

What are you involved with right now?

Around 1993, we were in Dallas visiting friends from Connecticut when I was fortunate enough to see a sign for the Dallas School of Music and popped in. I had no idea that they had only recently opened their doors so I jokingly said to my now boss “If I relocate here will you give me a gig?” He said “yes” but little did he know that I would show up just a few weeks later ready to work. lol. I became a Partner just a few years later.

DSM is a private community music school in north Dallas. Our youngest students are 3 or 4 and our oldest are in their 80’s - and sometimes they come one after the other!  It’s a wonderful challenge that keeps things interesting and keeps one's teaching chops sharp!  We are also publishers of online music learning materials (dlpmusicbooks.com) that are used all over the world, and part of my days are spent creating content and heading up the social media aspect of those related blogs and sites.

I recently returned from an artist in residency at a private school in Adelaide, Australia.  The trip was incredible and came about almost entirely because of the work we've been doing online over the past 10 to 12 years. I wrote about how the trip came to be, what it took to plan, and how it all turned out on Tumblr - the account  it’s far too long but if anyone is interested, here is the link:

http://ow.ly/ymfsk  

What is one of your most memorable things about your time at Hartt?

5 Questions with Eric Seddon

Eric Seddon (BM, 1994), studied clarinet at Hartt from 1990-1994. He currently lives in Cleveland with his wife, Elisa (BM in flute, BS in Chemistry 1995) and their seven children.

What have you been up to since graduating from Hartt?

Twenty years is a long time, and a great deal has happened. Obviously the biggest things are personal: Elisa and I have been married for 22 years now, and have been blessed with seven beautiful children. As any creative artist will tell you, to have that sort of stability—a spouse and family who care and are supportive of your work—is irreplaceable.

Musically speaking, after Hartt I went on to graduate work at Butler University, then played in regional symphony orchestras, teaching briefly at the Cleveland Music School Settlement before being forced into an unexpected ‘early retirement.’ Since childhood, I’d had a severe heart condition that grew increasingly worse. By age 28 it had progressed to the point that I couldn’t breathe well enough to play, and doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Packing up the clarinet was excruciating, but something I had to do for my health’s sake. So for several years I turned my efforts to writing; publishing academic pieces on music history, performance reviews, CD reviews, and some poetry. I even spent a couple of years selling clarinets for a prominent German instrument maker. In short, I tried to stay involved with music in whatever way I could.

Then, around 2010, everything changed for the better. A cardiologist diagnosed me correctly, and I had open heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. An operation like that can change your life in many ways. Thankfully, the surgery was a resounding success, and I spent the next three years rebuilding my technique to a professional level. I’m grateful my wife and kids understood the type of drive that can make a 38 year old practice for five or six hours a day—before sunrise, during meals, and after bedtime, if necessary. I played my first gig in fourteen years this past January, and have been performing steadily, often several times a week, ever since.

 

What are you involved with right now?

The Cleveland jazz scene. I’m grateful so many musicians here have given me a chance to play—and have responded enthusiastically to what I do. George Foley was the first. Anyone on the scene here knows his work—his piano and band leading skills are mainstays at venues like Nighttown, Bon Vivant, the Barking Spider, and the Tavern Co. Through George I met a community of artists, getting opportunities to play with Gene Epstein’s Jazz Hot, Kevin Richards & Friends, jazz violinist Reed Simon, and Brad Smedley, who has hired me a couple of times to play with his gypsy jazz group Hot Djang.

Beyond these opportunities, I’m in the beginning stages of organizing my own group, Eric Seddon’s Hot Club, an ensemble featuring my clarinet through the lens of New Orleans, gypsy jazz, and swing. The idea is to have a creative fusion of those elements, which are in many ways the most important roots and continued areas of innovation for jazz clarinet.

  

What is one of the most memorable things about your time at Hartt?

There are so many that I can hardly do the question justice, but one quote will have to suffice, as it encompasses the importance of the student-teacher relationship so central to conservatory study. I entered Hartt as a young man who had just gigged in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and whose primary goal was to play jazz. Back then clarinetists weren’t really accepted into jazz programs, and because of this, I was more encouraged to get a degree in classical performance.

At my audition for Hartt, Charles Russo, who was himself a proficient jazz musician, was understanding about my jazz concept, and said he would tailor my lessons in that direction.

The Jack Elliott Legacy Project

Who doesn't recall that bass line from the start of the Barney Miller theme?  (Don't tell me if you are too young to remember Barney Miller.)  I bet you can still recall the theme song to Night Court.

Keep reading.

Born Irwin Elliott Zucker, “Jack” Elliott graduated from what is now The Hartt School in 1951, where he later was awarded an honorary doctorate and was named Alumnus of the Year (1995), and he studied composition with Isadore Freed, Arnold Franchetti, Bohuslav Martinů, and Lukas Foss.  He worked as a jazz pianist in New York and Paris in the 1950s.  Later, having been sought by Hollywood for his skill as an arranger, he moved to California to launch a celebrated career in television.  His run in television earned him the distinction of being one of Hollywood’s top composers and arrangers, and for having become the musical director of choice for big events, such as the Academy and the Emmy Awards.  He served as music director for the Grammy Awards for 30 years.  His most well-known television work includes the theme songs to Night Court, Charlie’s Angels, and Barney Miller.

In the 1970s, Elliott co-founded the Foundation for New American Music, which commissioned symphonic jazz works for performance by the celebrated classical and jazz performers of the New American Orchestra (later the American Jazz Philharmonic).  He founded the Henry Mancini Institute in 1997, serving as music director until his death in 2001.

Hilda Morales, Hartt Dance Faculty, Interviewed in BWW

BWW Interviews: Hilda Morales: An Extraordinary Career with Pennsylvania Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Antony Tudor and the Hartt School of Dance

Hilda Morales was born in N.Y. City, and grew up in Puerto Rico. Her early training was with Ana Garcia of the Ballet San Juan. At 14 years of age, Ms. Morales received a Ford Foundation Scholarship to study at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet. She danced as a principal dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet, soloist with American Ballet Theatre, artist-in-residence with the Colorado Ballet and guest appearances with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Albuquerque Ballet and Jacksonville Ballet. During her dancing career, Ms. Morales performed in full-length classic ballets as well as works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, Antony Tudor, John Butler, Alvin Ailey, and Jose Limon. Ms. Morales was featured in the movie The Turning Point, in the role of Sandra, directed by Herbert Ross. She guest teaches and is on the faculty of the Central Pennsylvania summer programs, and joined The Hartt School faculty in 1998.

Broadwayworld Dance recently sat down to interview Ms. Morales.

Click here for the full interview.

Alumni and the 2014 Tony Awards

Alumni of The Hartt School had a big year on Broadway, and several are involved in productions nominated for Tony Awards this week.  Congratulations to all!

The 2014 Tony Award nominations were announced on Tuesday (April 29), and the awards will be handed out on June 8 in a ceremony to air live on CBS.

Here are some of Hartt alumni who are affiliated with Tony-nominated productions:

• Douglas Lyons ’09 and Kevin Duda ’01 are in the cast of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. The show received multiple Tony nominations, including Best Musical.

• John Brink ’09 is in the cast of  Les Misérables, which was nominated for Best Revival of a Musical.

• Orin Wolfe ‘01 is a producer of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which received multiple Tony nominations, including Best Musical. Wolfe also is a producer of Once, which won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Musical.

The alumni listed above are just a few of the Hartt graduates who have appeared on Broadway during the 2013–14 theater season.  Other Hartt alumni on Broadway include the following:

• Alison Cusano ‘09, is in the cast of A Night with Janis Joplin, and she performed the lead role in previews. The show has now moved off-Broadway.

• Christine Dwyer ‘07 plays the lead role of Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked.

• Hartt alumnus Kyle Wrentz is in the cast of The Lion King.

6th Season of the Richard P. Garmany Chamber Music Series Announced

The Hartt School is proud to announce that its popular and widely hailed Richard P. Garmany Chamber Music Series is returning for a sixth season.

The four-concert series, which has been bringing to campus many of the most admired and innovative musical artists and ensembles in the world, is supported by the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. For the upcoming 2014–15 season, the fund has provided a grant of $55,000, the largest since the series began in 2008.

The artist roster for the 2014–15 season includes:
– Oct. 16, 2014: JACK Quartet — One of the most dynamic and trailblazing string quartets of our time, this youthful New York-based foursome has been called “mind-blowing” and “electrifying” by the New York Times.
– Nov. 20, 2014: Calder Quartet, the widely honored, globe-circling L.A.-based ensemble that just weeks ago won the Avery Fisher Career Grant, one of the highest honors in the classical music world.
– Feb. 5, 2015: Roomful of Teeth, the dazzling nine-person mixed vocal ensemble that caused a sensation earlier this year by winning the Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance.
– April 23, 2015: International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), the groundbreaking artist-directed modular collective of young musicians devoted to performing the music of all periods, with an emphasis on works by living composers.

Thomas Schuttenhelm Selected to Perform at International Guitar Research Centre Symposium

On March 29th 2014, Thomas Schuttenhelm (DMA '01) and soprano Sarah Hersh-Armstrong will perform a recital of American Art Song and Song Cycles (for voice and guitar) at the inaugural symposium of the International Guitar Research Centre in Surrey [just outside of London proper] (UK).

The recital will feature all Hartt composers.  The program includes An Infant Crying by Larry Alan Smith (Hartt faculty), Time in Eternity by Tony Solitro (Hartt alumnus), When I Shut My Eyes by Ken Steen (Hartt faculty), and two of Schuttenhelm's song cycles: One Look Too Close and Tres Canciónes Españolas (text by Cuban-American poet and artist Rafael Oses, a Hartford Art School alumnus).

The Hartt School and The Stamford Symphony Form Partnership

The Stamford Symphony and The Hartt School recently announced the creation of a partnership. This partnership will focus on Training and Mentorship of Hartt music student fellows.

“We are excited to introduce a program of this caliber to the students at HARTT School of Music. This contact with professional musicians is preparation for when they graduate and will be developing their orchestra career.” – Barbara Soroca, CEO and President, Stamford Symphony

Our first annual Mentorship Program afforded Chaeyong Son, violinist and Jinyoung Son, cellist to perform in the Stamford Symphony for the March 1st and 2nd concerts. The two student fellows were chosen by blind audition and then, were prepared for the concerts by the HARTT School faculty.

In addition to the performance experience, fellows benefited from a mentorship experience where Symphony principal musicians and their colleagues met with the students to share their perspectives on creating a career in an orchestra. They also offered musical coaching. To round out the experience, the fellows spent two nights in New York City where they rehearsed with the orchestra, attended a live musical performance, and spent more time with the members of the orchestra as well as some individual time with the Music Director, Eckart Preu and CEO, Barbara Soroca. This experience was very well received and met the goal of the Partnership. - See more at: http://www.norwalkplus.com/nwk/information/nwsnwk/publish/Entertainment_12/Stamford-Symphony-and-The-HARTT-School-of-Music-Form-Partnership_np_21662.shtml#sthash.CLzSdMaq.dpuf

Barbara Soroca, Stamford Symphony’s CEO and President announced that Connecticut’s premier professional orchestra has created a partnership with Connecticut’s premier arts university, The HARTT School. This partnership will focus on Training and Mentorship of their music student fellows.

“We are excited to introduce a program of this caliber to the students at HARTT School of Music. This contact with professional musicians is preparation for when they graduate and will be developing their orchestra career.” – Barbara Soroca, CEO and President, Stamford Symphony

Our first annual Mentorship Program afforded Chaeyong Son, violinist and Jinyoung Son, cellist to perform in the Stamford Symphony for the March 1st and 2nd concerts. The two student fellows were chosen by blind audition and then, were prepared for the concerts by the HARTT School faculty.

In addition to the performance experience, fellows benefited from a mentorship experience where Symphony principal musicians and their colleagues met with the students to share their perspectives on creating a career in an orchestra. They also offered musical coaching. To round out the experience, the fellows spent two nights in New York City where they rehearsed with the orchestra, attended a live musical performance, and spent more time with the members of the orchestra as well as some individual time with the Music Director, Eckart Preu and CEO, Barbara Soroca. This experience was very well received and met the goal of the Partnership. - See more at: http://www.norwalkplus.com/nwk/information/nwsnwk/publish/Entertainment_12/Stamford-Symphony-and-The-HARTT-School-of-Music-Form-Partnership_np_21662.shtml#sthash.CLzSdMaq.dpuf

The first annual Mentorship Program afforded Chaeyong Son, violinist and Jinyoung Son, cellist to perform in the Stamford Symphony for the March 1st and 2nd concerts. The two student fellows were chosen by blind audition and then, were prepared for the concerts by The Hartt School faculty.

In addition to the performance experience, fellows benefited from a mentorship experience where Symphony principal musicians and their colleagues met with the students to share their perspectives on creating a career in an orchestra. They also offered musical coaching. To round out the experience, the fellows spent two nights in New York City where they rehearsed with the orchestra, attended a live musical performance, and spent more time with the members of the orchestra as well as some individual time with the Music Director, Eckart Preu and CEO, Barbara Soroca. 

Everyone involved had praise for this partnership and hopes that it can be repeated and expanded and serve as model of other project in which The Hartt School collaborates with organizations outside the University. 

“We are excited to introduce a program of this caliber to the students at HARTT School of Music. This contact with professional musicians is preparation for when they graduate and will be developing their orchestra career.” – Barbara Soroca, CEO and President, Stamford Symphony

Our first annual Mentorship Program afforded Chaeyong Son, violinist and Jinyoung Son, cellist to perform in the Stamford Symphony for the March 1st and 2nd concerts. The two student fellows were chosen by blind audition and then, were prepared for the concerts by the HARTT School faculty.

In addition to the performance experience, fellows benefited from a mentorship experience where Symphony principal musicians and their colleagues met with the students to share their perspectives on creating a career in an orchestra. They also offered musical coaching. To round out the experience, the fellows spent two nights in New York City where they rehearsed with the orchestra, attended a live musical performance, and spent more time with the members of the orchestra as well as some individual time with the Music Director, Eckart Preu and CEO, Barbara Soroca. This experience was very well received and met the goal of the Partnership.
- See more at: http://www.norwalkplus.com/nwk/information/nwsnwk/publish/Entertainment_12/Stamford-Symphony-and-The-HARTT-School-of-Music-Form-Partnership_np_21662.shtml#sthash.CLzSdMaq.dpuf

Barbara Soroca, Stamford Symphony’s CEO and President announced that Connecticut’s premier professional orchestra has created a partnership with Connecticut’s premier arts university, The HARTT School. This partnership will focus on Training and Mentorship of their music student fellows.

“We are excited to introduce a program of this caliber to the students at HARTT School of Music. This contact with professional musicians is preparation for when they graduate and will be developing their orchestra career.” – Barbara Soroca, CEO and President, Stamford Symphony

Our first annual Mentorship Program afforded Chaeyong Son, violinist and Jinyoung Son, cellist to perform in the Stamford Symphony for the March 1st and 2nd concerts. The two student fellows were chosen by blind audition and then, were prepared for the concerts by the HARTT School faculty.

In addition to the performance experience, fellows benefited from a mentorship experience where Symphony principal musicians and their colleagues met with the students to share their perspectives on creating a career in an orchestra. They also offered musical coaching. To round out the experience, the fellows spent two nights in New York City where they rehearsed with the orchestra, attended a live musical performance, and spent more time with the members of the orchestra as well as some individual time with the Music Director, Eckart Preu and CEO, Barbara Soroca. This experience was very well received and met the goal of the Partnership.
- See more at: http://www.norwalkplus.com/nwk/information/nwsnwk/publish/Entertainment_12/Stamford-Symphony-and-The-HARTT-School-of-Music-Form-Partnership_np_21662.shtml#sthash.CLzSdMaq.dpuf

Christine Dwyer starring in Wicked

Congratulations to Hartt Theatre Alumna, Christine Dwyer.

5 Questions with Ben Bilello

Ben Bilello (BM ’99), studied Jazz Studies/African American Music (percussion) at Hartt from 1995 to 1999.  He is currently living in Durham, Connecticut.  

What have you been up to since you graduated from Hartt?

I have been a full time professional musician, private instructor,  jazz and percussion educator and clinician since I graduated in 1999. I have performed and/or recorded with Mulgrew Miller, Eddie Henderson,  Branford Marsalis, Anthony Braxton, Javon Jackson, Charles Flores, Curtis Fuller, Larry Willis, George Cables, Steve Davis and Charmaine Clamor, as well as many others.

I was a faculty member of the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts from 2005 to 2013. While there, I taught percussion, jazz drumming, rudimental drumming and music theory.

I met my wife, Lauren, in 2001. We were married in 2007. We have a son, Michael, who just turned one year old in January.

I have a small side business in the fly fishing industry. I stopped fishing after leaving for college, but got back into it in my late twenties. My favorite quarry is the Atlantic salmon. I traveled to Russia’s Kola Peninsula, 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, in June 2012. I fished the Kola and Kitza Rivers, renowned for having some of the world’s largest and toughest Atlantic salmon. 

What are you involved with right now?

At the moment, my most important job is raising my son. I had to cut back on teaching and I can’t take every gig that is offered, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I perform as much as possible, most notably in trio collaboration with pianist Laurence Hobgood and bassist Henry Lugo.

For the past few months, I have been working with Javon Jackson, the new chair of the Hartt’s Jackie McLean Jazz Institute. Under Professor Jackson’s leadership, and along with fellow Hartt alumni Stephen Porter and Andrew Renfroe, we have given clinics at local schools and lecture/performances as part of the University of Harford’s President’s College.

I will be appearing on two albums to be released in the very near future. One is with vocalist Atla DeChamplain and pianist Matt DeChamplain, both Hartt alumni. The other, with vocalist June Bisantz, is a tribute to trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker.

I teach one day a week at UConn’s Community School of the Arts. Within the past year, I have built a home teaching and rehearsal studio. I offer lessons throughout the week as my schedule allows. 

What is one of your most memorable things about your time at Hartt?

Having the opportunity to study with Professor Jackie McLean was a terrific experience. He was truly a pioneer in the field of jazz education. Studying (and frequently playing) with a musician of Professor McLean’s pedigree and magnitude is not something most college jazz students have the chance to do. I feel extremely fortunate to have been at Hartt while Professor McLean was teaching there.  

What did you learn during your time at Hartt that you did not appreciate or recognize until after time passed and you had some time to reflect?

When I look back, I am amazed at how much free time I had compared to now. It certainly didn’t feel that way when I was a student. I practiced a fair amount while I was at Hartt, usually around four to six hours a day. Despite being fairly diligent, I could have made better use of  the free time I had (instead of hanging around the Hartt hallways or shooting pool at Gengras or the Hawk’s Nest).

Having a place to practice regularly was a luxury I took for granted. Until I became a homeowner, finding a place to practice was tricky at times. Now that I have a dedicated practice space (and a family), finding the time is the main issue. 

What is next for you?

In terms of professional endeavors, I have no idea. I have always taken opportunities as they arise. Often times they are unexpected. I have made my living as an accompanist, which I love, but I’d like to start to devote more time to projects under my own leadership. 

Thanks, Ben. If you want people to get in touch, how can they do so?

You can visit my website at www.benbilello.com or email me at ben@benbilello.com