5 Questions with Marthia Sides

Marthia Sides (Bachelor of Music (Vocal Performance)) studied at Hartt from 1992 to 1996.  She is currently living in Nashville.

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

I went on to get my masters in Opera at Longy School of Music in Boston.  From there, I have been on TV, Film, Off-Broadway, sang with Carolina Opera, studied in Italy and toured the U.S.  I've released 4 radio singles and 2 Music Videos. (Check out my website bio for more info www.marthia.com.)

What are you involved with right now? 

I had a baby girl Feb. 28th 2014. She is 1 year old. Her name is Echo,  I got married Oct. 11th 2014 to Kevin Shaw. I am working on a few Variety Shows in Nashville and will start performing in March.

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

There were so many moments but the Vocal training was super important and something I will always remember.

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

I grew up. I became an adult.

What is next for you?

Many things, but right now just juggling a family and career.

5 Questions With Steve Collins

Steve Collins (B.M. ‘89) studied percussion at Hartt from 1985 to 1989.  He is currently living in Trumbull, CT.

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

Playing drums and percussion, teaching music, travel adventures, managing commercial construction projects, learning the field of orchestra management, marriage, kids, parenting 101, parenting 220, grey hair, returning to Hartford . . . .  Well it’s been 26 years!

What are you involved with right now?

I recently joined the management team of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra as their Director of Artistic Operations and Administration.  It is very challenging but rewarding work with immensely talented people.

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

The fantastic faculty really stands out, in particular my primary percussion teacher, Alexander Lepak.  Mr. Lepak was firm but kind, immensely knowledgeable but generous, joyful and incredibly funny.  He had a few personal trademarks that are etched in my memory of him: The cigar hanging from the corner of his mouth, and his directive to me in percussion lessons – “Make me want to dance!”

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

One great lesson from Mr. Lepak was simple but incredibly insightful.  I remember asking for his advice in playing a particularly demanding passage of music.  He listened to me play, said the passage was beautifully performed and asked me what advice I needed.  I asked him what to do if an orchestra conductor expected me to perform the passage in a different way.  He told me, “YOU decide how you’re going to play this passage.  Perform with the conviction you just showed me, and no one will ever ask you to do any differently.  YOU DECIDE.”  I think about his message to this day and try to remain faithful to my convictions in all I do.

What is next for you?

Anne Koscielny Passes Away

Former Hartt faculty member, Anne Koscielny, has passed away. 

 In addition to being a professor of music at The Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford, she also taught at the University of Maryland at College Park and the Eastman School of Music.  In recent years, Ms. Koscielny lived with her husband, pianist and former Hartt professor Raymond Hanson, in western Massachusetts.

 
Ms. Koscielny had an very active performing career.  She performed solo recitals, chamber ensembles and with orchestras throughout the United States, in Mexico, South America, Europe and Asia. She won many awards and prizes including first prize in the Kosciuszko Chopin Competition in New York City and first prize in the National Guild of Piano Teachers Recording Competition. She received a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Cecile Genhart, then a Performer’s Certificate and Master of Music Degree from the Manhattan School of Music studying with Robert Goldsand. She has also studied with Frank Mannheimer and she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for study in Vienna.

Her London debut in 1972 was received with great critical success. The Daily Telegraph described the performance as follows: “Fire and feeling. Outstanding interpretations. Power and control. This was a remarkable debut.” Koscielny also performed the complete cycle of Beethoven Piano Sonatas in several states including Connecticut (University of Hartford, in 1984 and again in 2000), Maryland (University of Maryland at College Park), Louisiana (Centenary College in Shreveport), Massachusetts (Gordon College in Wenham) as well as many from the cycle in numerous other cities. At Yale University, Koscielny performed several solo recitals and also the complete cycle of Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano with Yale faculty violinist Syoko Aki.

An Update on the Hartt Dance Division

Last semester, Hartt hosted Misty Copeland for a master class with the dance students. Misty stands out for her warmth, passion, and genuine love of the art of ballet. It was thrilling to watch her impart her passion and knowledge to the Hartt dancers and watch them all revel in it. Her visit was an event they will remember throughout their lives.

It is events like this that distinguish Hartt our school from others. Hartt has a top notch ballet faculty committed to real professional practice and standards and fosters a repertoire of the best ballet choreographers from Petipa and Bournonville through Balanchine and on to those who are working today. The school also has, of course, very meaningful preparation in contemporary forms, which gives the dancers a strong foundation for success in their chosen field.

The work speaks for itself. Recently, four professional ballet companies have offered contracts to graduates of The Hartt School’s BFA program. Graduates of our Ballet Pedagogy program are teaching at prestigious schools in New York City and elsewhere including the Joffrey School (three graduates), Ballet Academy East, and Peridance Capezio Center. That is on top of the many dancers who are finding success in the modern and contemporary dance world. This is extraordinary for a school of Hartt’s size. The Dance Division should be proud of what it has accomplished in the last four years since Stephen Pier has joined as director of the division.

To read more about Misty’s visit, and see photos taken during her master class, please visit the UNotes article .

The Hartt faulty is very grateful for the encouragement and support of the school’s alumni and other supporters as it continues to strengthen the program and provide the best opportunities for the students to create successful lives in ballet and dance.

If anyone would like to make a gift to the dance program at Hartt, please visit our giving page and select “Other/Dance” in the designation box.

"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.