Director's Message from 1952 Still Resonates

To recognize the 100th blog post, here are two pages from the Hartt's 1952 Allegro Yearbook.

Moshe Paranov, circa 1952

I was not around in those years, but I gather that there was a yearbook published each school year.  This was the Director's Message from Moshe Paranov.  The message is equally valid today.

5 Questions with Aaron Krasting

Aaron Krasting (Bachelor of Music in Music Education, 1993) studied music education at Hartt from 1989 to 1993.  He is currently living in West Deptford, New Jersey.

 

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

 

Life has been extremely busy since I graduated from Hartt. My first teaching job was in the Pennsville, New Jersey middle and high schools. I was the choir director there for three years. During that time, I grew up a lot. I can honestly say some tough lessons were learned. Musically speaking, I accomplished a great deal. I had the opportunity to perform with the late Robert Shaw for three special concerts at Carnegie Hall. I can definitely thank Drs. Gerald Mack and Pamela Perry for the high level of preparation for such incredible opportunities. I also became the tenor soloist and section leader at historic Christ Church in Philadelphia, a position held for 5 years (thanks to Jack Zei for the vocal preparation). I lost my job in Pennsville due to a reduction in force.

 

After a few very short stints in other jobs, I became the choir director and theater producer at Paulsboro High School in Paulsboro, New Jersey -a short 7 minute drive from my childhood home. I am still at Paulsboro. While here, I received the school and district Teacher of the Year honors in 2001 and, in 2010, was selected to conduct the All South Jersey Junior High Honors Chorus. Over the last 20 years, I held other performance positions at churches -including Trinity Episcopal Church in Moorestown, NJ where I currently am- and performed on the stages of area semi-professional theaters, namely the Ritz Theater in Oaklyn, NJ and the Broadway Theater in Pitman, NJ where, most recently, I played the part of Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. I also performed with Philadelphia's professional choir, the Philadelphia Singers, as well as the Philadelphia Boyschoir and Chorale with my sons, and directed/vocal directed many productions at the high school and semi-professional level.

 

Personally speaking, after graduating from Hartt, I married Tina Oslin, whom I was dating while in school. We have 3 great sons (Michael, who is preparing for a career as a tenor, Tyler, who is currently singing with the Philadelphia Boyschoir, and Christopher, who is in the Boyschoir training program) and we successfully built Tina’s Polynesian dance business and our summer theater programs. We have, however, divorced amicably.  I am happy and have a new love, Becky, in my life.  We’ll see what the next half of my life has in store!

 

What are you involved with right now?

 

Right now, I have just completed the coursework for my Masters Degree in School Leadership at Wilmington University. I'm looking forward to the challenges that go with becoming an administrator for the remainder of my career. I have also decided to basically retire from performing to focus on my new profession and life. A performer can’t stay away forever, so I do hope to return to singing and the stage someday. Right now, I’m enjoying watching my sons perform. I’ll actually be bringing my son, Michael, for a visit to Hartford as a possible college choice.

 

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

 

There were many memorable things that happened while at Hartt. 1) While at the University of Hartford, I was a Red Cap as part of the Preview Orientation program, serving as the director of the group my senior year. As such, I was involved with helping incoming freshmen select their courses and prepare for their lives as Hartt students. Thanks Joan Glazer for all your help, guidance, and support as I did this. 2) My freshman year, Hartt celebrated the birthday of William Schumann. Preparing for that celebration imbedded music in my head that I find myself humming to this day (On Freedoms Ground). 3) The Hartt Chamber Singers (if memory serves right) performed at the MENC Eastern Division convention in Pittsburgh. 4) I also attended the ACDA National Convention in Phoenix which was an amazing experience (thanks Tom Nerbonne). There were more, but 3 is enough

 

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?

 

2016 Alumni Award Presented to Jimmy Greene

Hartt alumnus, Jimmy Greene, was presented with the 2016 Alumni Award today at Commencement.  Jimmy is pictured here with Interim Dean Clark Saunders.

Below is Jimmy, along with fellow Hartt alumni Dave McLellan and Marcos Carreras, both of whom are currently serving on the Hartt Board of Trustees.

Enid Lynn Honored For Her Work Establishing the Hartt Dance Division

On Friday, April 22, 2016, Hartt honored Enid Lynn, co-founder of the Dance program at Hartt.  Enid directed the School of the Hartford Ballet prior to coming to Hartt and was an important figure in dance in Hartford and beyond.  On Friday, Enid was presented with the Fuller Award, which is the Hartt Board of Trustees' highest honor.  After a wonderful performance by the Hartt dance students, a reception for more than 100 people was held to celebrate Enid.  The other co-founder of the program is current Hartt Trustee, Peggy Lyman-Hayes, who is pictured (center) below with Enid and Stephen Pier, current Director of the Dance Division.  Congratulations, Enid!

Marth Summa-Chadwick gives TEDx talk

Here is a link to a TEDx talk by Hartt alumna Martha Summa-Chadwick, titled Dance of the Neutral Tango.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCM4JPmPJcI 

Former Hartt Professor, Bernard Lurie, Passes Away

The Hartt family mourns the passing of long-time professor, Bernie Lurie, and extends condolences to his family.

Bernard Lurie, retired Concertmaster of the Hartford Symphony, CT Opera and Hartford Ballet passed away peacefully on March 31, 2016 at the age of 82. Bernie was born in Philadelphia on June 20,1933 to Bertha and Morris Lurie and was the loving brother of Ruth Lurie Snyder. Bernie was also a retired Professor of Violin, Viola, Ensemble, Conducting and Orchestra Studies at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. For 25 years he conducted the Greater Hartford Youth Orchestra (GHYO) with concert tours of Romania (1973), Switzerland (1976), England, Ireland and Scotland (1979), Italy (1983) and China (1987). He also founded the orchestra at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.


Bernie studied violin under world renowned pedagogue Raphael Bronstein who brought him to New York and then to the Hartt School where he earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. He was the recipient of several scholarships and fellowships including those awarded by Tanglewood and Hartt. Bernie was a former member of orchestras in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New England, and served many as Concertmaster including the Brattleboro Music Festival, Hartford Music Festival, New Haven Symphony "Concerts on the Green," as well as symphonies in Bristol, New Britain, Waterbury, Meridan, CT. He performed under the batons of such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Aram Khachaturian, Charles Munch, Lorin Maazel, Jorge Mester, Arthur Winograd as well as Arthur Fiedler and Lucas Foss. His former students continue to perform in major symphony orchestras and chamber groups around the world.


Bernie was a beloved husband of Sheila Lurie, loving father to Elena Lurie Meinhardt and Stephen Lurie, loving Poppy to Jillian and Garrett Meinhardt and Jadyn Rose Lurie. Funeral services will be held on Sunday, April 3 at 11am at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, 68 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston, NJ 07039 with internment following at B'nai Abraham Memorial Park in Union, NJ.


In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in memory of Bernie to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy or Temple B'nai Abraham. The family wishes to give special thanks to Dr. Eilon Krok and the staff at Saint Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, NJ.       


http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/hartfordcourant/obituary.aspx?n=bernard-lurie&pid=179490730&fhid=12152

Former Hartt Dean - Donald Harris - Passes Away

Here is a link to the obituary for Dean Donald Harris, Dean of The Hartt School of Music from 1977-88.


http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dispatch/obituary.aspx?n=donald-harris&pid=179450799


Condolences to the Harris family.