2020 Alumni Award Nominations

Do you know alumni of the University of Hartford's The Hartt School who have made significant accomplishments in the performing arts as artists, scholars, or educators? We are seeking nominations for The Hartt School Alumni Award. Since 1959, The Hartt School has acknowledged an outstanding alumna or alumnus annually with this prestigious award.

 

This fall, our committee will meet to select a recipient for 2020 who will be recognized at Commencement next May. The committee seeks to collect a diverse list of nominations representing the various performing arts disciplines of The Hartt School. Our past award recipients come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and we look forward to adding to the list.

 

Qualifying criteria for the award are:

•	Distinguished professional accomplishments of a Hartt alumna/us in an area of the performing arts as an artist, scholar, educator, manager, or technician
•	Professional and critical recognition of these accomplishments

 

Do you know someone who should be honored? Submit your nomination by Monday, Oct. 7, 2019.

 

Thank you,

The Hartt School Alumni Award Committee

David Macbride Festival

On October 2-5, 2019, The Hartt School, University of Hartford, will celebrate the life and work of composer David Macbride in a series of concerts devoted to his music, and his creative influence on generations of composers. David was a faculty member at Hartt from 1984 until his untimely death in September 2018. He was an undergraduate at Hartt, and was awarded the School’s Distinguished Alumni Award. His body of work is prolific and wide-ranging, covering almost every medium of concert music. But undoubtedly his greatest impact on the field has been that of his percussion music, which are firmly entrenched in the repertoire, with continuing performances nationally and internationally.


Oct. 2 will be chamber music played by Hartt faculty.
oct. 3 will be a concert of percussion works.
Oct. 4 will be tribute works composed in David's memory by Hartt alumni and faculty. Oct. 5 will feature the Hartt Wind Ensemble in a concert of large ensemble works David composed. 


The concerts will be live-streamed HERE.

Nomination Call for Hartt Hall of Fame

The nomination period of the second class of the Hartt Hall of Fame is now open.  Please submit your nominations.


For all the information on the Hartt Hall of Fame, click here. 

Hartt Hall of Fame - Inaugural/Founder's Class Presentations

In November 2017, the Founder's Class of the Hartt Hall of Fame was inducted during a ceremony in Millard Auditorium. 


Members of the Founder's Class are Julius Hartt, Moshe Paranov, Elizabeth Warner Paranov, Irene Kahn, Samuel Berkman, Elmer Nagy, Jackie McLean, Alfred C. Fuller, Primrose Fuller, Imanuel Willheim, Raymond Hanson, and Edward Diemente.


Click on a name to view the inductee's 2-minute induction video presentation.

Connecticut Summerfest: Contemporary Music Festival

The Hartt Alumni Blog would like to welcome and thank guest blogger - Aaron N. Price

Connecticut Summerfest: Contemporary Music Festival

 

Aaron N. Price (MM in Composition ‘16) and Gala Flagello (BM in Composition ‘16) met as Composition students at The Hartt School. In discussing the festivals they had experienced in the past, they recognized the potential for an affordable, compact summer music program right in their own backyard for emerging composers and ensembles. This lead to the creation of Connecticut Summerfest: a weeklong contemporary music festival that brings together talented emerging composers and some of the country's most inventive chamber ensembles, culminating in nine world premieres. The festival provides the Greater Hartford community with new music concerts of the highest caliber through a free nightly concert series featuring our three ensembles-in-residence and brand-new pieces written by festival composition students.

 

The structure of Connecticut Summerfest was crafted from some of the most advantageous aspects of festivals Aaron and Gala had each personally attended: a weeklong event with three ensembles-in-residence, two composition faculty members, and a variety of guest speakers. In addition to live premieres, festival composers benefit from a professional recording session of their new works, commissioned by the festival and the ensembles-in-residence. Resident ensembles are also invited to give a recital of their own repertoire as part of the festival’s nightly concert series. In an effort to serve a broader audience, not only are Connecticut Summerfest’s concerts free and open to the public, they are also live-streamed so that they may be enjoyed from anywhere in the world.

 

For their 2018 Festival, several notable University of Hartford alumni and faculty are involved:

 

Composition Faculty and Guest Lecturers:

Larry Alan Smith (Professor of Composition): 2018 Composition Faculty Member

Carrie Koffman (Assistant Professor of Saxophone): 2018 Guest Lecturer

 

Performers in Ensembles-in-Residence
Allison Hughes (BMus in Flute Performance '16, MM in Flute Performance '18): flutist of Duo Alterity

Joseph Van Doran (BMus in Guitar Performance '16, MM in Guitar Performance '18): guitarist of Duo Alterity

 

Festival Staff

Aaron Price (MM in Composition '16): Artistic Director

Gala Flagello (BMus in Composition '16): Festival Director
Will Jones (BMus in Composition and MPT '17): Recording Engineer
Brandon Keogan (BMus in Composition '16): Technical Coordinator

 

Advisory Board Members

David Bell (Associate Dean for Administration and Finance)

Milena Erwin (Program Manager of the University of Hartford Women's Business Center)

 

Please join us for our 2018 Concert Series:
All concerts are free, open to the publics, and available via Live Stream!

 

Friday, June 15th, 2018: Duo Alterity

Allison Hughes (flute), Joseph Van Doran (guitar)

8pm in Berkman Recital Hall at The Hartt School

 

Saturday, June 16th, 2018: Akropolis Reed Quintet

Tim Gocklin (oboe), Kari Landry (clarinet), Matt Landry (saxophone), Ryan Reynolds (bassoon), Andrew Koeppe (bass clarinet)

8pm in Berkman Recital Hall at The Hartt School

 

Sunday, June 17th, 2018: Xelana Duo

Ana García-Caraballos (saxophone), Alexander Davis (bassoon)

8pm in Berkman Recital Hall at The Hartt School

 

Tuesday, June 19th, 2018: Evening of Premieres

New Works by Festival Composers Performed by Duo Alterity, Akropolis Reed Quintet, and Xelana Duo

8pm in Berkman Recital Hall at The Hartt School

 

More information may be found at www.ctsummerfest.org and www.facebook.com/ctsummerfest. Connecticut Summerfest, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Doreen Ketchens Performing as Soloist with Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra

Doreen Ketchens' Performance of "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in March 21, 2018

Master of Music in Jazz Studies approved as a new degree program

Among the recent changes to Hartt's programs of study is a new degree in jazz studies.  The Univeristy of Hartford recently approved the Master of Music in Jazz Studies.


Here is the program curriculum.

First Year

Semester 1 (12 credits) 

• HLM 615*: Pro-seminar in Music History (3 cr.)
• AXX 999: Instrumental/Vocal Lesson (2 cr.)
• ENS 502: Jazz Ensemble (1 cr.)
• AFR 602: Duke Ellington (3 cr.)
• AFR 623: 20th Century Jazz Analysis and History (3 cr.)

Semester 2 (10 credits)

• AXX 999: Instrumental/Vocal Lesson (2 cr.)
• ENS 503: Jazz Ensemble (1 cr.)
• AFR 603: Analysis of American Songbook (3 cr.)
• TH 645**: Graduate Ear Training (3 cr.)
• REC 671: Master's Recital (1 cr.)

Second Year

Semester 3 (10 Credits)

• AXX 999: Instrumental/Vocal Lesson (4 cr.)
• ENS 502: Jazz Ensemble (1 cr.)
• AFR 655: Graduate Jazz Arranging (2 cr.)
• TH XXX: Graduate Theory elective (3 cr.)

Semester 4 (9 credits)

• AXX 999: Instrumental/Vocal Lesson (4 cr.)
• ENS 503: Jazz Ensemble (1 cr.)
• AFR 657: Graduate Business Seminar (3 cr.)
• REC 672: Master's Recital (1 cr.)

2018 Hartt Alumni Award - Shane Shanahan

The Hartt School's Alumni Award Committee has selected Shane Shanahan as the 2018 award recipient.  Shane will receive the award at this year's commencement ceremony for Hartt undergraduates.  Congratulations, Shane! 

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Grammy Award winning percussionist Shane Shanahan has cultivated his own unique and highly sought after sound by combining his studies of drumming traditions from around the world with his background in jazz, rock and Western art music.   His interest in other cultures has lead to extended visits to Turkey, India, and Tajikistan, among others.  Shane’s rare set of diverse skills is what attracted Yo-Yo Ma when he was forming the Silk Road Ensemble.  In the summer of 2000, Shane was invited to Tanglewood where he played an important role in the formation of the group.  Ever since, he has been touring around the globe performing side-by-side with Mr. Ma as an original member of the award-winning Silk Road Ensemble.  Shane's playing can be heard on all four of the ensemble's top-selling recordings for the Sony/BMG label.  The most recent was nominated for a Grammy and two of them feature his arranging skills. These arrangements have brought ecstatic audience to their feet in the top concert halls of North America, Europe and Asia. Shane can also be seen and heard on Mr. Ma's CD/DVD release "Songs of Joy."

He is also a member of frame drum master Glen Velez' TaKaDiMi Ensemble and cellist Maya Beiser's Provenance Project.  He has performed and/or recorded with Bobby McFerrin, Aretha Frankin, Philip Glass, Alison Krause, Sonny Fortune, Deep Purple, Jordi Savall, Fantasia, Chaka Khan, G. E. Smith, Simon Shaheen, Jamey Haddad, Cyro Baptista, Anindo Chaterjee, Sandeep Das, Shahram Nazeri, Alim Qasimov, Kayhan Kalhor, Howard Levy and Steve Gorn, among others.

During the 2009-2010 season, Shane co-curated a 40 week concert series at The Museum of Natural History for the Traveling the Silk Road Exhibit.  He was also highly involved in The Bridge Project, a three-year trans-Atlantic partnership uniting The Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Old Vic Theatre of London, and Neal Street Productions.  Shane was one of two featured musician in Shakespeare's "As You Like It" and "The Tempest," directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes ("American Beauty"/"Skyfall.")  After two months of performances in New York, the production commenced an extensive tour of Asia and Europe.  On Broadway, Shane has played for Caroline, Or Change, The Color Purple, Shrek, and Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark.

Phillip Boykin starring in Broadway revival of Once on this Island

After appearing on Broadway in Sunday in the Park with George, On the Town, etc., Phillip Boykin is currently starring as TonTon in the revival of Once on this Island.  I saw the performance and can say from firsthand experience that he is terrific and the cast is wonderful.


Congratulations, Phillip!

 

 

 

Conversation with Peter Furlong on His New Recording

Thanks for taking the time to converse with me, again, Peter.

 

Q. First question - it has been a little while since you participated in the 5 Questions interview series. What have you been doing professionally since then?

 

A. Really? Only a little while? Well, it feels like 2015 was only a short while ago, that’s for sure. 

 

Back to the question, what have I been doing... Most recently I recorded a CD of Mahler’s piano version of Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) which was just released in August 2017 in the US and is getting some nice reviews and I’m quite proud of this little CD. 

 

I have been training for some heavy duty Wagner roles. There’s been quite a buzz going around Berlin and Germany in general about me being a ‘real’ Heldentenor (Heroic tenor), which is both exciting and utterly frightening. 

 

I’m going to auditions in New York and Boston this winter to get some buzz happening in the US as well. 

 

I’ve sung quite a few concerts and Liederabends, the most recent being a Liederabend of Beethoven’s ‘An die ferne Geliebte’ (To the distant beloved) which was quite nicely received, and all of Copland’s 'Old American Songs' which I sang with my wife, Julie Wyma (who also sang Debussy’s ‘Ariettes Oubliées). A  hometown concert I did in Framingham, Mass in 2016 was great fun (especially as I hadn’t sung in Framingham in 29 years). Seeing one’s High School Music teacher and realizing he has somehow not aged at all is an amazing/humbling feeling. Doing concerts in the US also allows me to return to being a grease monkey, repairing the old cars and various motorbikes my family has accumulated and cared for.

 

Reaching further back, I performed the roles of Max in ‘Der Freischütz’ and Adam in “Der Vogelhändler’ at Kloster Chorin here on the outskirts of Berlin. 

 

Add to that being a dad to an amazing little violinist (who attended River’s School Conservatory Summer Camp this past summer) and all around smart cookie, and the husband to my wonderfully amazing wife - life has been good. 

 

Q. This is all very exciting.  I want to circle back to the performances in a bit, but first a few questions about the recording.  I recall studying Das Lied von der Erde in 20th Century Lit. class with the late James Sellers – a terrific work.  That was the version with full orchestration.  Tell me a little more about the piano version and how you came to select that work in particular for this recording.

 

James Sellars Memorial Celebration

On December 6, 7, and 8, 2017, The Hartt School celebrated the musical life and legacy of James Sellars, Professor of Composition 1978 - 2002.  Composers, performers, faculty, alumni, current students, and friends gathered for a series of performances of James' music and music composed in his honor.  Robert Black organized the effort with the help of many others.

Original School Brochure 1920-21

1920 - World War I had ended.  Jazz was just emerging.  Warren G. Harding was elected President of the United States.  Prohibition began.  Women attained the right to vote.  Mass media was born with a license given to the first commercial radio station.  America was about to start Roaring. 


And, The Hartt School was officially formed.  1920 is the founding date of our school and, thanks to the University of Hartford archives and Prof. Dee Hansen (leading the committee planning Hartt's centennial celebrations), below is the original brochure for the school.


Contained in these several pages is the philosophy on which our founders built their legacy.  The prose is elevated and contained within are a few surprises.


How many of us had heard of "Boris" Paranov?  Most of know Morris Perlmutter changed his named for professional reasons to Moshe Paranov, but I had never know that Uncle Moshe once went by Boris.  Ernest Bloch as a faculty member.


Citation - Julius Hartt Musical Foundation, Inc. records (ARCH161). University of Hartford Archives and Special Collections.

 

Obituary for Raymond D. Hanson

Raymond D. Hanson, beloved father, devoted husband, concert pianist and teacher, died peacefully of natural causes in his home in Heath, Massachusetts on Thursday, October 26, 2017 at the age of 98.

Born October 5, 1919 to David and Martha Hanson of Evanston, Illinois, Raymond began studying piano at the age of 12. By the age of 15, he appeared as a featured soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Raymond attended Northwestern University until the beginning of WWII, and his commitment to non-violence and peaceful protest led him to become a Conscientious Objector. This eventually brought him to Middletown, Connecticut.

After the War, in 1945, Raymond met Moshe Paranov and was offered a teaching job at Hartt College of Music. While at Hartt, Raymond worked with the renowned pianist and pedagogue, Harold Bauer, who took him under his wing and mentored him. Raymond was promoted to full Professor of Piano and eventually served as Head of the Piano Department where he remained for over 40 years. Throughout this time, he performed as a soloist with Hartford Symphony, Boston Symphony and Boston Pops; performed concerts and world tours with noted artists such as Roman Totenberg , Pinchas Zukerman, and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf; and he appeared on his own weekly television program, Piano Pops, with Leonard Seeber. In addition, he created the piano series En Blanc et Noir, which featured young and upcoming pianists.

The Hartt Hall of Fame - Inaugural Class Induction

In 2016, the Board of Trustees of The Hartt School created The Hartt Hall of Fame.  As created by the Board:


The Hartt Hall of Fame recognizes and honors the accomplishments and contributions of individuals associated with The Hartt School who have helped in significant ways to further the mission of the School and showcase the best of the School to external audiences.


The Inaugural Class consists of the following people:
Samuel Berkman
Edward Diemente
Alfred C. and Primrose Fuller
Raymond Hanson
Julius Hartt
Irene Kahn
Jackie McLean
Elemer Nagy
Elizabeth Warner Paranov
Moshe Paranov
Imanuel Willheim


The induction ceremony for the Class of 2017 will take place on November 30, 2017 at 12:15 p.m. in Millard Auditorium during Paranov Hour (previously known as Musicianship Class).  The ceremony will be streamed live on the internet.

Remembering Brenda Lewis

Brenda Lewis passed away on Saturday in her home in Westport, CT.  She was born on March 2, 1921.  After a long and critically acclaimed career singing and acting on Broadway and, among others, at City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, she was a professor of voice and acting at Hartt.


Here is the obituary that appeared in the NY Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/16/arts/music/brenda-lewis-dead-opera-soprano.html

March 1964 issue of International Musician, cover article re Moshe Paranov and Hartt

The March 1964 edition of International Musician, published by the American Federal of Musicians, featured an article about Moshe Paranov and the new Hartt building - the Fuller Building.  Moshe and a photo of the building appeared on the cover.  There are lots of interesting things in this article, including the fact that the original building cost a total of $2.6m to build.

Check out Uncle Moshe's quote about his decision to not strike out for Europe or other major metropolitan center early in his career as was the typical path.

"I hope that I have demonstrated that it is possible for a student of music to become a musician by the unorthodox method which I selected.  Less of glamour, yes; more of heartache, decidedly; but great satisfaction, definitely."

I also like the 1964 advertisements.

As we move toward the completion of the renovation of Millard Auditorium, it is amazing to think about the original dedication concert, with performances by Marian Anderson, Isaac Stern and Leonard Rose.  I would have liked to be in attendance!

Special thanks to Seth Bogdanove, Uncle Moshe's nephew who used to vacation with the Paranov family in Maine.  Seth saved this article and sent me the digital copy. 

(By the way - If anyone is in need of photo restoration and digital archiving skills, please reach out to Seth at Digital Archiving and Photo Restoration by Bogframe, 17 Bay 31st Street, Apt 2, Brooklyn, NY 11214, (718) 373-7575, www.bogframe.com).

Allen Memorial Library Moves Into New Space

The Allen Memorial Library, a/k/a the Hartt Music Library, has moved into a new space.  What was formerly known as the main library on campus, the Mortensen Library, has been renamed the Walter Harrison Libraries, which now includes a section called Mortensen Library.  The Harrison Libraries now houses the Allen Library in what used to be the lower level of Mortensen.  The back wall of this space was blown out, new floor to ceiling windows were installed, and the space was reconfigured to serve Hartt's music, dance and theatre students and faculty.  Although still a work in progress, here are some photos.


Did you know that Hartt alumni have use and borrowing privileges in the Allen Library?  See the library website for details.


Here is your mini virtual tour.


As you walk down the stairs from the main level of Mortensen, here is the entrance signage to the new Allen Library.

Turn left and a staff workspace is visible through the window and you can see through the library space out the back windows.

In we go through the entrance and turn right to the circulation desk.

Looking past the work tables and the computer study stations.  (Bonus if you can identify the Hartt alumnus just beyond the computers from the back of his head.)

Two Hartt Alumni to Be Featured at Tanglewood

A pair of Hartt alumni, Phillip Boykin and Ryan Speedo Green, will be among the featured soloists at this seasons' Tanglewood performances.

On July 8, Phillip will perform with the Boston Pops Orchestra in a program titled Sondheim on Sondheim.  This follows Phillip's recent run on Broadway in Sunday in the Park with George.  More information on this performance can be found here.  Boykin Performance

PHILLIP BOYKIN (Bass-Baritone) is a 2012 Tony Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards Nominee for his work in THE GERSHWIN'S PORGY AND BESS. He is the 2012 Winner of a Theatre World Award as well as the International Reviewers of New England Awards and The Distinguished Alumni Award from The Hartt School. Phillip is a native of Greenville, SC who now resides in NJ. Other performances include; the Broadway Revivals of ON THE TOWN and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, the roles of Joe in the National Tour SHOW BOAT and at several Regional theaters including Sacramento Music Theater, The Pirate King/Samuel in PIRATES OF PENZANCE NY City Center and Barrington Stage, Ken in AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', Crown/Jake in the Opera PORGY AND BESS, Tarquinius in THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA, Caiaphas in JCS, and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR GOSPEL, the HARLEM GOSPEL SINGERS, Fred in SMOKEY JOE'S CAFÉ, and Don Alfonso in COSI FAN TUTTI to name a few. Phillip performed as Booker T. Washington in the Anniversary Concert of RAGTIME at Lincoln Center. He also made is Carnegie Hall debut in BROADWAY CLASSICS. Mr. Boykin portrayed the role of Big Hand in the movie FREEDOM starring Cuba Gooding Jr., and Sharon Leal. Recently The Driver in TOP FIVE a movie starring, written and directed by Chris Rock, Caiaphas in John O'Boyle's EASTER MYSTERIES and was featured as the cover story of Classical Singer Magazine. He's a graduate of the University of Hartford's Hartt School of Music in CT; he also studied Jazz and Vocal Performance at SC State University, Howard University and the NC School of the Arts. Phillip has toured throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, Russia, Poland and North America. Mr. Boykin is the Founder, Director and Manager of the NYGOSPEL BROTHERS. For more information or to purchase his CD/DVD entitled "You Believed In Me" please visit www.PhillipBoykin.com.

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Ryan Speedo Green will perform on July 30 with the BSO Orchestra and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus as a featured soloist in William Walton's Belshazzar's Feast.  Additional information on this performance can be found here. Green Performance 

Bass-Baritone Ryan Speedo Green, a native of Suffolk, Virginia, recently completed the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera. Praised by Anothony Tommasini for his "robust voice," Ryan will join the Wiener Staatsoper as a company member in the 2014 - 2015 season member and will be featured as Sparafucile in a new production of Rigoletto, as well as Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia among several other assignments. He will also appear as Rambo in the Met premier of The Death of Klinghoffer conducted by David Robertson. The 2013-2014 season saw a return to the stage of the Met to sing the Bonze in Madama Butterfly and the Jailer in Tosca. The same season also saw his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Second Soldier in Salome under the baton of Andris Nelsons and a debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra singing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Other appearances included Son Beau-Pere in a new production of Milhaud's Le pauvre matelot and Zuniga in Carmen with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap Opera. Ryan made his Metropolitan Opera stage debut in the 2012-2013 season.

2017 Commencement

Some photos from the 2017 Commencement at the University and Hartt ceremonies.


http://www.hartford.edu/news/commencement/default.aspx

Dr. Macbride to Receive the Humphrey R. Tonkin Award for Scholarly and/or Artistic Creativity

At the 2017 Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 21, Professor David Macbride '73, Professor of Composition and Music Theory, will be presented with the Humphrey R. Tonkin Award for Scholarly and/or Artistic Creativity.


Composer and pianist David Macbride ’73, DMA, has written numerous works, ranging from solo, chamber, and orchestral music to music for film, TV, dance, and theatre, with an emphasis on percussion. During his more than 30 years teaching composition and music theory at The Hartt School, he has inspired and mentored hundreds of students, many of whom have gone on to become noted professional musicians.


An alumnus of The Hartt School, Macbride is universally recognized as one of the world’s most important composers of percussion music. The Humphrey R. Tonkin Award for Scholarly and/or Artist Creativity recognizes his works that challenge musicians technically, musically, and emotionally. His ability to embrace life’s issues and struggles is evident in pieces such as “Staying the Course,” a composition known to “shake the listeners to their core,” as it presents one note for every soldier who died in the Iraq war.


As a pianist, Macbride has toured much of the world performing recitals and is also known for his innovative audience-centered compositions. A recent work, “Percussion Park,” is a musical landscape where the audience is invited to freely roam the performance site in search of the music. The commissioned piece “Silent Hands” features an American Sign Language interpreter as part of the ensemble, and is intended to show connections between the expressiveness of sign language and musical gestures.


Macbride’s artistic endeavors have had a major influence on his teaching. He founded The Hartt School’s “Composers Ensemble,” providing an outlet for student composers to perform their own works, and initiated a course encouraging students to perform locally, having presented countless concerts himself throughout the Greater Hartford area and earning the University of Hartford’s Community Service Award in 2001.


Reflecting on his career at the University, Macbride acknowledges his mentor, Professor Emeritus Edward Diemente: “He provided me with positive experiences that set the stage for my composing to develop into a lifelong habit… I often remind my students that we are blessed to be in this world, the world of music, the world we live in.”