Kim
(DeLuccio) Collins (BM 1992) studied Flute at Hartt from 1988 to 1993. She is currently living in Trumbull, CT.
What have you been up to
since you graduated from Hartt?
So
many things have happened in the last 20-plus years! I got married to Steve Collins (BM
Percussion, 1989). On the teaching
front, I taught at Hartt Community Division for about 7 years, maintained an
active private teaching studio, and also did some teaching at Fairfield
University, Choate Rosemary Hall, and Neighborhood Music School. As far as performing is concerned, I never
stopped after school. I decided early on
that I really enjoyed the freedom and variety of being a freelance artist, and
I have been fortunate to play with so many great musicians along the way. I have played solo recitals, chamber music,
orchestral music, been featured soloist with orchestra here and there, lots of
shows including some work on Broadway, and a few recordings…a really fun
variety.
In
2007 we had the first addition to our family, and now have two little boys in
Elementary School, so that keeps things in perspective and is a huge project in
itself.
What
are you involved with right now?
I am
currently performing in a freelance capacity with the Vermont, Springfield,
Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, and Albany Symphonies as well as in the pit
for nationally touring shows that come through the state. I am also Principal Flutist with the Waterbury
Symphony. I am teaching at home and at
Southern Connecticut State University. I’m
always looking for new and interesting projects so I’m open to ideas for fun
collaborations and concerts. Sometimes I
feel as if, although I really enjoy orchestral music, that I have some untapped
spark for other genres that I want to explore. I hope I can do more of
that in the coming years.
I
enjoy running and cooking, and being the best mom I can be to my two boys. I’ve been known to hit local boot camps and
flip some tires and push some prowlers around here and there and always enjoy a
good physical challenge like an obstacle race.
What is
one of your most memorable things about your time at Hartt?
I
hate to repeat what others have said, but…there are so many!
Mr.
Lepak with his cigar hanging out of the corner of his mouth, performing
Concerto for Orchestra at the MENC conference with Arthur Winograd conducting,
playing with the Emerson String Quartet, coachings with Moshe Paranov, our
trips to NYC to play in Town Hall and Alice Tully hall, working in the
Information Booth, Mr. Rauche stamping my papers with a dancing pig in a tutu,
and especially my lessons and studio classes with John Wion. I loved getting the chance to play the flute in
so many different settings. A huge thank
you also for the life-changing moment in which Dr. Feierabend said that we
shouldn’t use a Music Education degree as something to fall back on. I recall being wracked with guilt at that
statement, and feeling like a sham. He
inspired me to change my major to performance, and I know it was the right
choice for me.
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?
