Partnerships with Arts Orgnizations Continues with Concert at Infinity Hall

One of the things Hartt has done in the past few years, and that it will continue to do, is establish partnerships and working relationships with area arts organizations.  Students contribute to the success of these organizations and, in turn, they receive valuable professional experience while still in school.  Some of the examples are partnerships with The Hartford Stage, Goodspeed Theater, and the Stamford Symphony. 
Another important relationship is the one Hartt has with Hartford's Infinity Hall & Bistro.  This Saturday, Dec. 3, will be a great day at the venue featuring current students from Hartt's jazz division and a performance by alumnus Javier Colon.  Please support these concerts.  If you haven't been to Infinity, you are in for a treat.

 

Hartt History: 1936 - 1955

1936 - Julius Hartt retires as director of The Hartford Musical Foundation and the name of the foundation is changed to The Julius Hartt Musical Foundation in his honor.


1937 - Alfred C. Fuller becomes a member of the Board of Trustees.

1938 - The Board purchases 187 Broad Street in Hartford from the Hartford Seminary.  Dedication exercises are held and feature Harold Bauer, one of the world's greatest pianists, with the Hartt School Chorus and Orchestra.  Samuel Berkman is appointed Dean of the Julius Hartt School of Music.

Moshe Paranov is appointed Music Director at WTIC.

1939 - Irene Kahn, accomplished ensemble player and accompanist, joins Moshe Paranov in the first of many highly acclaimed duo-piano recitals at the new Broad Street location.

1940 - By vote of the Connecticut State Board of Education, Hartt becomes the first independent institution in the state with the right to confer the Bachelor of Music degree.

Alfred Einstein, preeminent German musicologist and critic, joins the Hartt faculty.

1942 - Dr. Elemer Nagy joins the Hartt faculty.  The first Hartt opera production, a double bill, is presented.  The program features the first American performance of Franz von Suppe's Ten Maidens and No Man, Moshe Paranov conducting, and the first Hartford performance of Paul Hindemith's Here and There, with Hindemith conducting.

Hartt History: 1895 - 1935

1895 - Morris Perlmutter is born on Pequot Street, Hartford, CT.


1909 - Julius Hartt moves to Hartford from Boston and assumes the position of organist at Asylum Hill Congregational Church.

Morris Perlmutter begins work as a pianist in theatres and hotels in Hartford and, later that year, becomes the conductor of the Good Will Club Orchestra whose artistic advisor is Julius Hartt.

1912 - Morris Perlmutter debuts at Hartford's Unity Hall on Pratt Street in a performance of Beethoven's G Major Piano Sonata.

1914 - Julius Hartt becomes Music Editor for the Hartford Times.

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!