Hartt Community Division
Weekly Email Newsletter
November 1, 2007

• Words from the Director
  As you plan your busy weekend, consider including a Community Division performance in your plans.

• Important information from Teri Einfeldt
  Group Class, MasterClass & Concert Information for Suzuki String students & parents
  

• ATTENTION CAMBIATA SINGERS AND FAMILIES: 
  The NEW rehearsal time for all Tuesday rehearsals is 5:45-7:45 p.m.  
  

• Attention Concert Choir Families: 
  Be on the look-out for information about performance with Hartford Symphony on Dec. 15

• “So You Want to be a Performer”… Discussion with Peter Sklar ~ Saturday, November 17
  America 's LEADING Authority on Young Dancers, Singers & Actors ~ reserve your spot today!

• BRIAN LEWIS to Perform in a Benefit Concert for the Fund for Access on November 3
  Tickets will also be available at the door!

• A Concert of Operatic Arias, November 2, at 8:00 pm in Berkman Auditorium
  Featuring HCD Faculty Member Zoe Vandermeer
  

• FREE Performance 20/20 concerts this Saturday, Nov 3 at 3pm & 7:30pm in Berkman
  The Hartt School 's Honors Chamber Music Program will feature several HCD faculty members.
  

• Susan Cheng, HCD Piano Faculty will be performing with the Hartt Symphony Orchestra
  Friday, Nov.9 at 7:30pm in Lincoln Theater

• Hartt Dance Faculty and Students Performed on Channel 3's Better Connecticut !
  Kara Sundlun and our Attorney General Richard Blumenthal celebrated dance on live television...
  
  
• Latin Passion ~ New World Trio with the Alturas Duo, November 3 & 4
  HCD Faculty Members, Pi-Hsun Shih, Carlos Boltes & Scott Hill will be performing!
  
  
• Upcoming Concerts & Events at The Hartt School
  Community Division Students will receive discounted tickets to most of these events!
  
  
• News from the Dance Department
  Important Information for Dance Students
  
  
• Ensemble Schedules
  Find out where & when your ensemble is rehearsing.
  
  
• Quiz
  This week's prize: 2 tickets to the Hartt Wind Ensemble & Symphony Band Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in Lincoln Theater
  
  
• FYI and About our Newsletter
  Contact the Community Division Staff; submit a newsletter article.
  

Words from the Director

As you plan your busy weekend, consider including a Community Division performance in your plans.

On Friday evening (November 2 nd ) at 8:00pm in Berkman Auditorium, coloratura soprano and Community Division faculty member Zoe Vandermeer will present An Evening of Opera Arias . Zoe will be joined by heldentenor Kevin Hanek and pianist Max Midroit. There is no admission fee for this concert, though a free-will offering will be collected to support the Vocal Activities Fund. This is your chance to experience the operatic art without all the stuffy pretense.

On Saturday evening (November 3 rd ) at 7:00pm , virtuoso violinist Brian Lewis will present a concert with pianist Laura Kennedy. The venue is the beautiful sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Church, 433 Fern Street in West Hartford . Tickets - $20 for adults and $10 for students and seniors – will be available at the door. All proceeds from this performance benefit the Fund for Access, a need-based financial aid program that supports deserving pre-college students in any program of the Community Division. Brian Lewis is a musician with a unique ability to communicate. This is a recital I can recommend to people of all ages and backgrounds.

I will be attending both of these performances. Please be sure to say hello when you see me there.

Dr. Mark George
Director
The Hartt School Community Division

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Important information from Teri Einfeldt

Saturday Violin Group Classes ~ Opus, Vivace and Aria Violin group classes will meet Saturday, November 3 in Konover at their regularly scheduled times.  Parents are encouraged to attend.

Open Master Classes ~ Brian Lewis will be teaching a master class Sunday from 11:30-4:00 in Berkman.  All are invited to come and spend an hour or so watching this extraordinary Suzuki trained violinist share his knowledge and enthusiasm with our students.

CONCERT ~ Remember there is still time to buy your tickets to Brian Lewis' concert, Saturday night, November 3, at 7:00 PM .  Tickets will be available for purchase at the door.  The concert will be held at the Universalist Unitarian Church , 433 Fern Street , in West Hartford .  Don't miss it!

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ATTENTION CAMBIATA SINGERS AND FAMILIES: 

The NEW rehearsal time for all Tuesday rehearsals is 5:45-7:45 p.m.  

It is expected that all singers will be in their seats, with music binder and pencil, ready to sing by 5:45 p.m.   If for some reason you are going to be late, need to leave early, or unable to attend rehearsal please call the Community Division Office at 768-7768 and leave a message.

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Attention Concert Choir Families: 

Be on the look-out for Information about performance with Hartford Symphony on Dec. 15

Information will be coming home on Tuesday regarding complimentary/discounted tickets for our performance with the Hartford Symphony at Holiday Pops on Dec. 15.  Please check the front of your singer's binder for a Memo regarding how to receive/purchase tickets.

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“So You Want to be a Performer”… Discussion with Peter Sklar ~ Saturday, November 17

America's LEADING Authority on Young Dancers, Singers & Actors

Please Note: Everyone under age 18 must attend with their own parent.

WHERE: THE HARTT SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD

Wilde Auditorium

200 Bloomfield Avenue

West Hartford , CT 06117

WHEN: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17 th , 2007 at 7:30 pm ~ Make sure to arrive on time! The presentation will begin promptly. No one will be allowed to enter after 7:30pm !

CALL FOR RESERVATIONS: (860) 768 – 4451

Topics to be discussed include:

•  What are the four great truths every young person must know in order to succeed?

•  What personality trait is far more important than confidence, talent, skills, and desire combined ?

•  What popular health-related activity should all young people avoid like the plague ?

•  What's the worst thing to pick for a major in college if you want to be a performer?

•  Who will figure you out faster: a detective, a psychologist, or a casting director, and why?

•  What's the one thing every teenage girl in America must tell her father, and how does that relate to her success as a performer?

•  What's the one food every young performer must eat every day in order to succeed?

Peter Sklar , Ed. M. Harvard University is a nationally-known speaker, educator, author, talent scout and producer with three decades of experience discovering and working behind-the-scenes with young performers such as his discovery Mischa Barton (Fox TV's The O.C.) , Sarah Jessica Parker ( HBO's Sex and the City) , Zachery Ty Bryan (Home Improvement), Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama), Ashley Bashioum (The Young and The Restless), Lori Loughlin (Full House), Zachary Cope (Stir of Echoes with Kevin Bacon), Alex Winter (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Lost Boys), Rick Schroder (Silver Spoons, NYPD Blue), Ricki Lake, and hundreds of others.

His work to date has been the subject of five major feature articles in the New York Times , along with feature articles in the New York Daily News, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Kansas City Star, Dallas Morning News, Atlanta Constitution, etc., as well as on numerous local and national television news and entertainment programs including E! True Hollywood Story, Donahue , Good Morning America , Bravo Channel , etc.

In 1984, Mr. Sklar founded the famed Beginnings Workshop in upstate New York . His publication, Winning Monologues from the Beginnings Workshop (Baker's Plays/Samuel French), is a standard text in many high school and college theater departments, as well as a resource for numerous talent agencies and casting directors.

Mr. Sklar studied concert piano at New York 's Juilliard School of Music and was a career musician. He holds a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard University , with a concentration in counseling and adolescent development.

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BRIAN LEWIS to Perform in a Benefit Concert for the Fund for Access on November 3

Don't miss violinist Brian Lewis in concert on November 3 at 7:00 .   This concert is to benefit the Hartt Community Division's Fund for Access (financial aid program) and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 433 Fern Street in West Hartford .   Purchase your tickets at the Hartt Community Division Office or by calling (860) 768 - 4451.

Brian will be accompanied by his longtime friend, Laura Kennedy from Vermont .

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A Concert of Operatic Arias, November 2, at 8:00 pm in Berkman Auditorium

The Hartt Community Division Voice Department will present a Concert of Operatic Arias featuring Coloratura Soprano Zoe Vandermeer and dramatic Tenor Kevin Hanek , and Max Midroit , Piano, on Friday, November 2 at 8:00 pm in Berkman Auditorium at The Hartt School, University of Hartford , 200 Bloomfield Ave. , West Hartford , CT 06117 .

The concert is open to students and the public at no charge. Free-will donations toward the Vocal Activities Fund are welcome. This fund has been established to enhance educational and performance opportunities for the Hartt Community Division vocal department.

The multi-talented Zoe Vandermeer is a prize-winning graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.  Ms. Vandermeer's operatic roles include Lucia ( Lucia di Lammermoor ), Konstanze ( Abduction of the Seraglio ), Queen of the Night ( The Magic Flute ), and Violetta ( La Traviata ).  She has performed with Golden Gate Opera, Festival Opera, Opera Da Camera, New York Opera Forum, Operesque Classical Concerts (NYC), Cal State Hayward Opera, East Bay Opera League, San Francisco Opera Guild, and the New York Opera Studio. 

The young american heldenTenor Kevin Hanek is embarking upon a career in the Wagnerian dramatic tenor repertoire. He most recently appeared as Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera with Bulgaria's Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he performed the role of Radamés in Verdi's Aïda last seasonthe role of Tom Carter in the first New York performances of composer George Quincy's comic Mummy in 2004, and sang the role of the Majordomo in the New York premiere of Hans Werner End of a World (Das Ende einer Welt) with Encompass New Opera Theatre in 2003. He has appeared in performances of Handel's Israel in Egypt with the Westchester Choral Society under the baton Woodside, in a Salzburg debut in concert with pianist Jörg Demus, and in recital with pianist Shetler. A native of Miami, Florida, Hanek received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University completed a master's degree at the University of South Florida, where he was awarded the Graduate Assistantship in Opera. He pursued post-graduate studies at Vienna 's Hochschule für Musik and Mozarteum in Salzburg , as well as additional training with pianists Dalton Baldwin and Erik Werba, Gérard Souzay, and soprano Eleanor Steber. He is the winner of an Emerging Artist grant from Hillsborough County Arts Council, and performed with the Sarasota Opera as an Apprentice Artist.

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FREE Performance 20/20 concerts this Saturday, Nov 3 at 3pm & 7:30pm in Berkman

Hartt's Honors Chamber Music program, "Performance 20/20", known for its innovative programming, will be performing two concerts on Saturday Nov 3 in Berkman Auditorium at the Hartt School , University of Hartford campus. At 3pm" DUOS TIMES 2 TIMES 2 " and at 7:30pm " TRIOS TIMES 3 ”

Programming will range from the traditional Brahms Waltzes for piano 4-hands, to the new and exciting Joan Tower's Black Topaz featuring winds, percussion and piano.  Also included will be the charming Ibert Trio and Villa-Lobos Jet Whistle Duo and the exciting Mendelssohn String Octet. 

In addition, you will hear music featuring harp, percussion, woodwinds, brass and strings. Several Community Division teachers will be performing....including YuChen Shih, piano, and Andy Bhasin, violin.  Come hear your teacher perform!

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Susan Cheng, HCD Piano Faculty will be performing with the Hartt Symphony Orchestra

Hartt Community Division Piano Faculty Member, Susan Cheng, will be performing Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor with the Hartt Symphony Orchestra. Christopher Zimmerman will be conducting. The performance will be held in Lincoln Theater on Friday, Nov.9 at 7:30pm .

Also on the program: Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique and Glinka: Ruslan and Lyudmila: Overture.

For tickets or more information, contact the Lincoln Theater Box Office at 860-768-4228.

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Hartt Dance Faculty and Students Performed on Channel 3's Better Connecticut!

The Hartt School Dance Division faculty member Katie Stevinson-Nollet and Justin Andrews (08' Hartt Dance Performance Major) performed an excerpt from "When the Fat Lady Sings" on behalf of Full Force Dance Theatre.  Hartt Community Division Faculty Member Amy Nesbitt performed with Tristan Drummond on behalf of Spectrum in Motion.  Both couples were promoting “Dancing in the Moonlight” - a benefit to support Charter Oak Cultural Center 's Dance Series.   “Dancing in the Moonlight” is scheduled for tonight, Thursday, November 1st at Charter Oak Cultural Center .

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Latin Passion ~ New World Trio with the Alturas Duo, November 3 & 4

The New World Trio, which includes HCD Piano Faculty Member Pi-Hsun Shih, will be performing 2 concerts titled “Latin Passion” with the Alturas Duo. The Alturas Duo is comprised of HCD Faculty Members Carlos Boltes (viola) & Scott Hill (guitar). They will perform works by Carrasco, Farias, Fernandez, Benelli and Piazzolla as well as evocative Chilean and Bolivian Folk Melodies.

The concerts will be held:

Saturday, November 3 at 8pm
Christ Church Cathedral
45 Church Street , Hartford

and

Sunday, November 4 at 2pm
Westminster Presbyterian Church
2080 Boulevard Avenue
West Hartford

Tickets are $20 for General Admission, $15 for students/seniors, FREE for children under age 18.

For more information, visit their website at: www.newworldtrio.org

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Upcoming Concerts & Events at The Hartt School

The Hartt School presents Hartt Dances ~ Friday through Sunday, Nov. 2 to 4, in Millard Auditorium on the University of Hartford 's West Hartford campus.  A highlight of the program will be the presentation of Kijuanta Lucas' Hidden Realities choreographed to music by Pink Floyd. Also on the program is Stephanie Powell's Bolero featuring a cast of 21 dancers to Ravel's Bolero.  The program features several additional works by Hartt Dance faculty members. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.   Admission is $20, with discounts for seniors, students and groups.  Please call the University Box Office at 860.768.4228 or 800.274.8587 or visit www.hartford.edu/hartt for more information.

The Hartt School presents the Miami String Quartet ~ Hartt's professional quartet-in-residence, on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Millard Auditorium on the University of Hartford 's West Hartford campus. The world-renowned Miami String Quartet will present works by Beethoven and Dvorak, featuring pianist Jodi DeSalvo.  Admission is $30-36, with discounts for seniors, students and groups.  Please call the University Box Office at 860.768.4228 or 800.274.8587 or visit www.hartford.edu/hartt for more information.

The Hartt School presents the Hartt Symphony Orchestra ~ Friday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Lincoln Theater on the University of Hartford 's West Hartford campus.  The Hartt Symphony Orchestra is comprised of more than 80 student musicians from Hartt's undergraduate and graduate degree programs, providing Hartt's orchestral instrumentalists with exceptional performance experiences, including more than eight concerts a year and performances with the school's dance, music theatre, and opera departments.  The orchestra will perform works by Glinka, Brahms, and Berlioz, with guest pianist Susan Cheng.  Admission is $20, with discounts for seniors, students and groups.  Please call the University Box Office at 860.768.4228 or 800.274.8587 or visit www.hartford.edu/hartt   for more information.

The Hartt School presents the van Rooy Competition for Musical Excellence ~ Sunday, Nov. 11, at 3 p.m. in Millard Auditorium on the University of Hartford 's West Hartford campus.  The eighth annual van Rooy Competition for Musical Excellence features performances by Hartt undergraduate instrumental performance majors, competing for a top cash prize of $10,000, made possible by the generosity of Hartt supporters Jean-Pierre and Marie-Claire van Rooy.  The finalists have been narrowed down from more than 30 applicants to the competition via two preliminary rounds and will present their final selections for the consideration of three adjudicators.  After the competition, join the participants for a dessert reception while you await the announcement of the winners.  Admission is free.  Please call the University Box Office at 860.768.4228 or 800.274.8587 or visit www.hartford.edu/hartt for more information.

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News from the Dance Department

Parent Observation Week November 5 - 9
During the week beginning Monday, November 5th* through Saturday, November 9th, all parents, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunties etc are invited to watch their children during their normal class time.  We recommend that all students and parents take advantage of this opportunity to also observe classes of a higher level than their own.   We ask that younger siblings sit with their parents and do not run in and out of the studios and remind you that street shoes are not allowed on dance floors.   At this time we will also be displaying all items from our lost and found.  Please take a moment to see if any of your child's belongings are there.  Any items not claimed will be either donated to charity or added to our Uniform Exchange Program as appropriate.

* Due to Nutcracker rehearsals, on Monday November 5th, C Ballet observation will be postponed to Monday, November 12th.

Class Time Changes for Adult/Youth Ballroom
Changes in our Schedule have been made for the following classes:
Adult/Youth Ballroom has been changed to Saturdays 9:30am - 10:30am
Saturday Adult Pilates is now 10:30am - 11:30am

Nutcracker Rehearsals
Only class changes and rehearsals are listed – All classes will be as normal unless otherwise listed below!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Monday, November 5, 2007

Thursday, 8 th November, 2007
5:00 – 6:30 ~ Columbine  ~ Studio II  ~ SB

Saturday, 10th November, 2007
1:00 – 2:00  ~  Opening 2 nd Act ~ Studio IV ~ SB
2:00 – 3:00  ~ Chinese ~ Studio IV~ SB/LA
Party Boys & Girls     
2:15 – 3:15 ~Snow~Studio V ~DCR
3:00 – 4:00 ~Rag Dolls~Studio IV ~ LA     
3:15 – 4:15  ~Russian & Spanish~Studio V~ SB

Hartt Dances
All Students are encouraged to attend the College Division's 'Hartt Dances' at the Millard Auditorium at the University of Hartford , November 2nd through 4th. A highlight of the program will be the presentation of Kijuanta Lucas' Hidden Realities , choreographed to music by Pink Floyd. Also on the program is Stephanie Powell's Bolero , which features a cast of 21 dancers and the familiar music of the same name by Ravel. The content of the piece is conveyed through strong movements and vigorous dynamics using overlapping groupings of dancers to create a highly energetic experience for the audience.
The concerts feature several additional works choreographed or restaged by Hartt Dance faculty members. All University students, faculty and staff receive one free ticket to this event with their ID

Calendar
November 1 – “Dancing in the Moonlight” benefit, Charter Oak Cultural Center
November 2 - 4 - College Dance Division Performance, Millard Auditorium
November 5 -10 – Parents' Observation Week
November 17 – “So You want to be a Performer”, Lecture, Wilde Auditorium

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Ensemble Schedules

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Quiz

This week's Quiz Question: The trombone has this number of positions:

a) 5
b) 6
c) 7
d) 8

Last week's Quiz Question:
Match the following films with the composer that wrote the film's music.
Movies
a) Star Wars
b) Gone With the Wind
c) The Godfather
d) Chinatown

Composers

1) Jerry Goldsmith
2) Nino Rota
3) John Williams
4) Max Steiner

Correct Answer:
John Williams was the composer for STAR WARS
Max Steiner was the composer for GONE WITH THE WIND
Nino Rota was the composer for THE GODFATHER
Jerry Goldsmith was the composer for CHINA TOWN

Last week's Quiz Winner: Alexandra Young, voice student of Louise Fauteux and member of the Connecticut Children's Chorus.

This week's prize : 2 tickets to the Hartt Wind Ensemble & Symphony Band Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in Lincoln Theater

To submit your answers, send your reply to jburnham@hartford.edu with the subject “Quiz Answer”. Answers must be received before 12 noon on the Tuesday after the Newsletter is sent. If more than one person answers correctly, the winner will be chosen randomly, using the tried-and-true “pick a name out of a hat” method. Please also note your connection to the Hartt Community Division (teacher/program) when you submit your answer.

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FYI and About our Newsletter

This Hartt Community Division Newsletter is distributed via e-mail to all faculty, staff, and families of the Community Division, who request the newsletter, every Thursday afternoon from September through June. It is also posted in the lobby of the Community Division office and on our website: www.hartford.edu/hartt/community .

Mark George, Director ( george@hartford.edu ) – new program ideas, fundraising, general issues and concerns

Alana Seddon, Associate Director ( aseddon@hartford.edu ) – new program ideas, school-wide issues and concerns, current programming ideas or issues, and operational concerns.

Dawn Zumbroski, Registrar ( zumbroski@hartford.edu ) -- registration issues, billing concerns and payments.

Jill Burnham, Administrative Secretary ( jburnham@hartford.edu ) -- new student referrals and registration.

Judy Chestnut, Budget Adminstrator ( chestnut@hartford.edu ) -- budget and payroll issues

Tracy Flater, Director of Off-Campus Facilities and Programs ( flater@hartford.edu ) -- responsible for managing administrative details for the Simsbury Branch and the Dance Department.

Amanda Kilpatrick, Dance Administrator ( kilpatric@hartford.edu ) -- dance department

Mary MacKinnon, Administrative Assistant ( hcdevents@hartford.edu ) -- recital programs and room scheduling.

Michelle Sessions, Dina Stavola, Jennifer Zak, Lillie Lavado-- part-time receptionists at the main campus.

Cindy Graham, Joe Feldman, Gretchen Schrader and Heline Fusco – part-time receptionists at the Simsbury location

Krista Rescsanski and Danielle Edson – part-time receptionists at the Hartford Dance Center

To submit an article, email harttcomm@hartford.edu no later than the Wednesday of the week you would like it to appear. We encourage our faculty, students and staff to submit articles. Articles will appear once. The staff of the Hartt Community Division reserves the right to edit articles for content, grammar and length.

Please visit our website at http://www.hartford.edu/hartt/community

To pay your bills online: http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/bursar/payment.html
To find out about Hartt news, activities, and events, please read the News from the Dean, which is published every other week: http://www.hartford.edu/hartth/Hartt_News/NewsfromtheDean.htm

TO UNSUBSCRIBE: If you do not want to receive the Hartt Community Division's Email Newsletter, please email jburnham@hartford.edu with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body or subject of the email.

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