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.