Hartt Community Division
Weekly Email Newsletter
February 5, 2009

• Words from the Director       
  Weather Cancellation Policies

• The Hartt School Presents an Evening of Music, Dance & Theatre
  FREE Collage Concert Provides the Best of Performing Arts in a Single Evening

• The Connecticut Doctors Orchestra is looking for new members!
  Are you a doctor & a string instrument player?  If so, this Orchestra may be for you!

• Accompanist Needed
  The Jewish temple in Simsbury Emek Shalom is looking for a pianist to accompany their Purimspiel rehearsals and concert.
  
  

• A Choral Celebration of Black History Month
  Sunday, February 15, 2009, 4:00 pm in Vernon, CT

• Upcoming Events at The Hartt School: March 2009
  From The Hartt School presents The Who’s Tommy, to an evening of Chamber Music, to Dance Performances, there is something for everyone

• News from the Dance Department
  Important Information for all HCD Dance Students

• Ensemble Rehearsal Schedules
  Find out your ensemble’s upcoming rehearsal & performance schedule!
  

• HCD Email Newsletter Quiz
  Play to win: 2 tickets to the Hartt Symphony Orchestra concert on Friday, February 20, 2009 at 7:30 pm in Lincoln Theater.
  

• FYI and about our Newsletter
  How to contact the Hartt Community Division Staff; submit a newsletter article.
  
  
   Words from the Director       
  
  The Community Division has made some mistakes recently regarding weather cancellations.  I take full responsibility for all errors of judgment, communication and execution with this issue.  Further, I apologize for any inconvenience our errors may have caused.
  
  The decision on whether to stay open or cancel is usually not as clear-cut as it might appear.  The Community Division is a complicated organization with varied programs at multiple venues.  Nonetheless, the safety of our students and families is an unwavering priority. 
  
  Therefore, from this point forward, a more cautious approach will be applied to decisions about cancellations.
  
  The ground rules regarding communication of these decisions will be as follows:

  • • The ONLY source of Hartt Community Division (HCD) cancellation information is the HCD main office and our website www.hcd.hartford.edu.  While we regularly consult with our teachers and ensemble directors, the HCD office will always make the final decision.
      
    • All cancellation decisions will be made and posted no later than 1:00pm on weekdays and 7:00am on weekends (we still reserve the right to respond to emergencies at any time of the day).
      
    • HCD cancellations are not necessarily tied to public school cancellation announcements.
      
    • HCD cancellation decisions ARE necessarily tied to cancellation decisions made by the University of Hartford (e.g. HCD classes cannot run if the University is closed).
      
    • Cancellation information may vary for different HCD venues (i.e. University of Hartford main campus, University of Hartford Magnet School, Simsmore Square, West Hartford Unitarian Church, etc.) and with different HCD ensembles (i.e. Connecticut Children’s Chorus, Suzuki String Orchestras, etc.). 
      
    • Once a decision to remain open is made, all classes and ensembles will meet as scheduled.
      

    Dr. Mark George, Director
    The Hartt School Community Division

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    The Hartt School Presents an Evening of Music, Dance & Theatre
    FREE Collage Concert Provides the Best of Performing Arts in a Single Evening

    The Hartt School of the University of Hartford proudly presents its annual Audition Festival Collage Concert on Friday and Saturday, February 13 and 14, at 7:30 PM in Lincoln Theater, on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus, 200 Bloomfield Avenue.  A unique opportunity to experience the full range of performing arts disciplines in one evening, the Collage Concert features students and faculty from all of Hartt’s performing divisions.  Admission is free.
    
    At Hartt’s Collage Concert, there is something for everyone:

    Theatre:  This year’s program will include scenes from two of Shakespeare’s most renowned works, Hamlet and Henry V.  Musical theatre fans of all ages will enjoy excerpts from the popular rock musical The Who’s Tommy and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s magnificent Carousel.
    
    Dance:  Fans of dance will thrill to a suite of two trios and two solos from the Royal Danish Ballet "Napoli", choreographed by August Bournonville and restaged by Hartt School Dance Division faculty member Hilda Morales. In addition, the fiery Spanish Character dance from the ballet "Swan Lake", choreographed by Hartt Dance Division ballet and character faculty member Alla Nikitina will be performed.
    
    Instrumental Music:  Hartt Symphony Orchestra, Hartt Wind Ensemble, members of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, Hartt Percussion Ensemble, and other smaller groups will present a diverse repertoire – from John Williams’ music from Catch Me If You Can, to Bernstein’s “Mambo” from West Side Story; from exciting Cuban rhythms to an intimate piano solo.
    
    Vocal Music:  A varied repertoire of vocal music will include “O Sole Mio” by Eduardo Di Capua, sung by three Hartt tenors; “Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine” by Eric Whitacre and “Ain'ta That Good News”, arranged by Moses Hogan, sung by the Hartt Chamber Choir; and “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, sung by Instrumental Studies choral forces along with Music Theatre voices.

    The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford that offers innovative degree programs in music, dance, and theatre.  With more than 400 concerts, recitals, plays, master classes, dance performances, and musical theatre productions a year, performance is central to Hartt’s curriculum.  For more information on The Hartt School visit www.hartford.edu/hartt.

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    The Connecticut Doctors Orchestra is looking for new members!
    
    Are you a doctor, a string instrument player, and would you consider playing in an orchestra? We are looking for musicians of all levels in order to establish a new orchestra: the Connecticut Doctors Orchestra. Its purpose will be to share our common interest in music, have fun and on occasion play for charities.
    
    We are delighted to announce that Melinda Daetsch has kindly accepted to be our Conductor.
    
    MELINDA DAETSCH holds degrees from Harvard University and The Juilliard School of Music, and serves on the faculty of the Hartt School in Hartford, Connecticut and the Luzerne Music Center in Upstate New York where she conducts the Luzerne Music Center String Orchestra. She was the conductor of the Central Pennsylvania Youth String Orchestra in State College, Pennsylvania for many years, and also directed the Music at Penn's Woods chamber music concert series at Penn State University for nine seasons before moving to Connecticut in 2002.
    
    She regularly performs with orchestras throughout the United States and Europe, with Philadelphia Orchestra members at the Luzerne and Gretna Chamber Music Festivals, and as a guest artist with the Lions Gate and Claremont Piano Trios, the Philadelphia Piano Quartet, and with the Everest and St. Petersburg String Quartets.
    
    Her ties to the European music scene include annual performances at the Assisi Festival in Assisi, Italy, appearances in the past with the Orchestra Symphonique Neuchatelois and Bern Sinfonietta, in Switzerland, and leading four groups of students on concert tours of Europe.
    
    We have secured rehearsal space thanks to the leadership of the Institute of Living. The location is the Litchfield Room in the Common's Building at the Institute of Living, 200 Retreat Avenue, Hartford. We will have out first meeting on February 1st from 4:00- 6:00 pm. During this session we will have a chance to meet each other, discuss our plans for future rehearsals and performances, and discuss dues and other administrative matters. It will also be an opportunity to gauge our level of experience so appropriate music can be selected. We will be sight reading, so please bring your instruments and a stand.
    
    If you are interested and can attend our February 1st meeting, kindly email Dr. Karen Blank at kblank@harthosp.org. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either of us.
    
    Karen Blank, MD
    Director, Memory Disorders Center
    Hartford Hospital / Institute of Living
    kblank@harthosp.org
    
    or
    
    Latha Dulipsingh, MD, FACE, FACP
    Director, Endocrinology and Bone Health Center
    Director, Joslin Center for Diabetes, Affiliate of
    The Hospital of Central Connecticut
    ldulip@thocc.org

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  Accompanist Needed
  The Jewish temple in Simsbury, Emek Shalom, is looking for a pianist to accompany their Purimspiel rehearsals and concert.

  
  photo: http://fvjc.org/
  
  The Jewish temple in Simsbury, Emek Shalom, is looking for a pianist to accompany their Purimspiel rehearsals and concert. The job would be: 4 Monday nights: Feb. 2, Feb. 7, Feb. 23 and March 2. The performance: Sunday, March 9 - 9:00 - 11:00 am. For details, please contact Cantor Sue Levine at 658-0369 or  cantorsue@hotmail.com

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A Choral Celebration of Black History Month

A collaboration with The Vernon Chorale, The Hartford Chorale Chamber Singers,
and The Alfred E. White Chorale, conducted by Ehren Brown and Ingrid Faniel, respectively

Sunday, February 15, 2009, 4:00 pm
The First Congregational Church of Vernon
CHAMBER SINGERS
Featuring an original work by Connecticut native and African-American composer Peter Bagley
Kathleen Bartkowski, pianist

Suggested ticket donations:
$10; $8 for seniors, students and groups of 20 or more

www.vernonchorale.org  • www.hartfordchorale.org  • www.metroamezion.com

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Upcoming Events at The Hartt School: March 2009

The Hartt School Presents An Evening with Guitar
The Hartt School presents An Evening with Guitar on Thursday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. in Berkman Recital Hall on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus.  This performance features the students of Richard Provost.  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.

The Hartt School Presents The Who’s Tommy
The Hartt School presents The Who’s Tommy from Thursday, March 5 through Sunday, March 8, and again from Wednesday, March 11 through Friday, March 13, in Millard Auditorium on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus.  Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.  Based on the original rock opera by The Who, Tommy chronicles the life of a young deaf, dumb, and blind boy traumatized into his own world.  He becomes a pin ball wizard, which catapults him to mega-stardom, however he finds fame is a hollow reward.  The score is exciting, timeless, and takes us all into Tommy’s world!  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 Performance 20/20
The Hartt School presents Two or Three: Spirited Duos and Trios for Winds and Strings on Saturday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. in Berkman Recital Hall on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus.  Hartt’s innovative honors chamber music program for exceptionally talented musicians uses a wide range of instruments, allowing for unique combinations and a varied repertoire of chamber music.  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.

The Hartt School Presents Performance 20/20
The Hartt School presents Hot Off the Press: Recent Gems of the Chamber Music Literature on Sunday, March 8, at 3 p.m. in Berkman Recital Hall on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus.  Hartt’s innovative honors chamber music program for exceptionally talented musicians uses a wide range of instruments, allowing for unique combinations and a varied repertoire of chamber music.  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.

The Hartt School Presents a Mid-Semester Chamber Music Concert
The Hartt School presents a Mid-Semester Chamber Music Concert on Monday, March 9, at 7 p.m. in Berkman Recital Hall on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus.  Hartt students will perform a varied concert of chamber music selections.  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.

The Hartt School Presents Hammerklavier
The Hartt School presents Hammerklavier on Tuesday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Berkman Recital Hall on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus.  This performance features Hartt piano students performing works from the solo piano repertoire.  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.
                                                                         
The Hartt School Presents a Senior Dance Concert
The Hartt School Dance Division presents a Senior Dance Concert on Thursday and Friday, March 12 and 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation Theater, Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center, 35 Westbourne Parkway in Hartford.  "Between the Lines" is an evening of Senior Dance Composition works by Marisa Harris, Kristen Himmelberger, and Jocelyn Wallace.  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 a Cello Master Class by Steve Balderston
The Hartt School presents a Cello Master Class by Steve Balderston on Friday, March 13, at 4 p.m. in Room 410/412 of the Fuller Music Center on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus.  Steve Balderston is Professor of Cello at DePaul University.  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.

The Hartt School Presents the Miami String Quartet Student Competition Concert
The Hartt School presents the Miami String Quartet Student Competition Concert on Thursday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Millard Auditorium on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus.  Share in the excitement as the Student Competition winners experience the unique opportunity-unparalleled among similar music conservatory programs-to perform with a professional quartet.  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 Graduate Percussion Group
The Hartt School presents The Hartt Graduate Percussion Group on Friday, March 27, at 7:30 p.m. in Millard Auditorium on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus.  The Hartt Graduate Percussion Group presents an evening of chamber music, featuring Steve Reich’s landmark Sextet(for marimbas, vibraphones, crotales, bass drums, and pianos).  Hartt’s Professor of Percussion, Benjamin Toth, joins the ensemble for this performance.  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.

The Hartt School Presents the 2008-2009 Faculty Recital Series
The Hartt School presents the 2008-2009 Faculty Recital Series on Sunday, March 29, at 3 p.m. in Berkman Recital Hall on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus.  The Adaskin String Trio and Friends will present a performance featuring music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Henry Cowell, and Hartt faculty member David Macbride.  The Trio: Emlyn Ngai, Violin; Steve Larson, Viola; Mark Fraser, Cello.  Assisted by Teri Einfeldt, Violin; Melinda Daetsch, Viola; Margreet Francis, Piano.  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.
 
The Hartt School Presents a Violin Master Class by Eric Lewis
The Hartt School Presents a Violin Master Class by Eric Lewis on Monday, March 30, at 10:30 a.m. in Room 201 of the Fuller Music Center on the University of Hartford’s West Hartford campus.  Eric Lewis, a soloist and chamber musician, is Professor of Music at Western Connecticut State University and performs with the Delphi Ensemble, the Prometheus Piano Quartet, and the Camerata Chamber Ensemble.  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

 Please help us replace some missing ballet shoes
Somehow, during the move from our old Hartford location to the new location at the new Performing Arts Center, we discovered that we have lost the box of ballet shoes that we used to fit children who attend our programs from various Boys & Girls Clubs.   We URGENTLY need about 50 pairs of ballet slippers for children ranging in ages from about 4yrs of age to 10 years of age.  If you have any gently used ballet shoes that no longer fit your children, please bring them to the receptionist at either dance location and we will put them to good use.   Or, if you can, consider donating to our ‘shoe’ fund.  Each pair of shoes costs approximately $18. All the children have been supplied with leotards and skirts but we have very little money left in our ‘dress a dancer fund’ to supply their ballet slippers.  Your gift will make some young dancer very happy.  Thank you.

Summer Program Audition Feb 15 –  NEXT WEEKEND
Reminder that the Auditions for our first International Summer Ballet Intensive is coming up soon.  Get your application form in early! – Forms available online or through any dance location receptionist.

Performance Ensemble  -
We are aiming for May 2nd for our extra performance for the Ensemble however, this is not confirmed. We are also planning to take this performance to a few Windsor schools during the school day, dates TBA – These performances will involve the upper level intensive students. The casting is being done by Mr. Campaneria in class and is in addition to our Spring Festival Performances in June

Rehearsals for Friday, February 6th  and Saturday February 7th

Friday:  7pm – 8:30pm – Pas de trois, Swan Lake & Don Q -  ALL

Saturday:  2pm – 3pm -  Pas de Quatre 1st cast
Saturday: 3pm – 4pm – Coppelia pas de deaux, Don Q – ALL and La Corsaire – 1st cast

Saturday Rehearsals for English Folk Song:
2pm – 2:45pm – All dancers in first Movement
2:45pm – 3:30pm – Naomi Lemire & Haley Rose
Performance Ensemble tentative Casting… So Far….. AND Subject to change, is posted in the virtual dance bag in the dance pages on our website.  Casting is NOT Final.

 Calendar
February, 14th – No classes at the Hartford Location
February 15th – Auditions for International Summer Ballet Intensive at the Performing Arts Center
February 16th – 20th – Winter Vacation – Hartford
February 21st – Classes held at Hartford location only
February 16th – 21st – Winter Vacation - Simsbury
April 5th  -  5th Annual Ballet workshop, Performing Arts Center

Mark your Calendars for our upcoming Summer Programs
Some information on some of the programs is already on our Summer pages on our website,

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Dance with Hartt in Summer 2009          

Check out our website at www.hcd.hartford.edu or call 860-768-6000 for more details which will be available soon!

International Summer Ballet Academy – Hartford
June 30 to July 25
M-F 9am to 5pm and Sat 9am to 12pm 

Full Force Dance Theatre Summer Workshop – Hartford
July 6 - 17, 2009
M-F 10am to 12:15, Studio 1 

Teen Adult 6 week program – Hartford
July 6-Aug 14, 2009

Dancing on Broadway Workshop – Hartford
Aug 3 -7, 2009
M-F 9am to 5pm

Children’s Ballet Workshops – Hartford
July 27-31, 2009 & Aug 1-14, 2009
M-F 8:30am to 12:30pm

Youth Summer Dance Intensive –Simsbury
July 20-31
M-F 9am to 5pm

Children’s Ballet Workshops- Simsbury
July 13-17, and Aug 3-7
M-F 9am to 12pm

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HCD Ensemble Rehearsal Schedules

Please check your ensemble’s web calendar to any last minute changes or cancellations:  http://hcd.hartford.edu/music/instrumental_ensembles.htm

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HCD Email Newsletter Quiz

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This week’s question:        Many years ago in Cermona, Italy, there lived a man by the name of Stradivari, famous for making:

a)         harps
b)         harpsichords
c)         violins
d)         pianos
e)         harmonicas

Last week’s question:    Beethoven wrote nine symphonies in all, and one of them is sometimes known as the “Fate Symphony”:

a)         Second
b)         Third
c)         Fourth
d)         Fifth
e)         Sixth

Correct Answer:          d)        Fifth


Quiz Winner:             Tasheia Lattimore, parent of Tahsjae Armstrong - Discovery I / Tiny Tap I student
 
This week’s prize:     2 tickets to your choice of performance:  The Hartt Theater Department’s performance of Love's Labours Lost   Thursday, February 19 – Sunday, February 22 (Thursday, Friday or Saturday at 7:30pm or Sunday at 2pm ) at the Handel Performing Arts Center, McCray (Small Black Box)   

In the early Shakespeare comedy Love’s Labours Lost, temptation – in the form of a princess and her three ladies – gets the best of a group of sexually abstaining men as they fall in love and neglect the vows they made to devote three solid years to study.  When the princess is called home to take the throne, the women insist that their male counterparts live without the company of other women for a year and a day in order to prove their love.  
 
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.hcd.hartford.edu   

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 Administrator (chestnut@hartford.edu ) -- budget and payroll issues.

Jill Vasbinder, Assistant Director of Dance and Off-Campus Programs (jvasbinde@hartford.edu ) -- responsible for managing administrative details for the Simsbury Branch and the Dance Department.

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

Emmett Drake, Scheduling Coordinator (hcdevents@hartford.edu ) -- recital programs and room scheduling

Noah Glynn, Events & Programs Coordinator (glynn@hartford.edu ) – managing ensembles and coordinating special events

Marian Gandara (harttcomm@hartford.edu ) – full-time receptionist at the main campus

Jessica Rudman, Eva O’Brien (harttcomm@hartford.edu ) - part-time receptionists at the main campus

Cindy Graham, Isabelle Phillips, Cierra Berry and Gretchen Schrader (simsmore@hartford.edu ) – part-time receptionists at the Simsbury location

Krista Rescsanski and Danielle Edson (dancedesk@hartford.edu ) – part-time receptionists at the Hartford Dance Center

To submit an article, email jburnham@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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