News from the HCD Dance Department

Spring Festival Volunteers Needed

We are looking for volunteers for backstage, cast party, and production week!
Please leave your name and email address with the receptionist at any location if you would like to help. Thank you.

Announcement for Simsbury & Hartford Discovery, Children’s Ballets’ Tiny Taps,Tap 1  & Foundation classes
A revised production schedule is available in the Virtual Dance Bag on our website
(http://www.hcd.hartford.edu/dance/dance_bag.htm). 

Production Schedules for Intensive Division levels A-F will be available shortly

Spring Festival Informational meetings for Parents
Several informational meetings for parents have been arranged.  Please try to attend to ask and have your questions answered.  The dates and times are as follows:

Hartford at the Hartford location
Discovery, Tiny Tap, Children’s Ballet I, II & III and Foundation classes -
Monday, May 18th at 5pm
or
Saturday, May 23rd at 10am

Intensive Division levels A – F
Monday, May 18 at 6:30pm

Simsbury
Discovery, Tap 1, Children’s Ballet I, II & III and Foundation classes -
Saturday, May 23rd at 12 noon. At the Simsbury location

Spring Festival Tickets

This year’s Spring Festival will be held at the Hoffman Auditorium, the Carol Autorino Center at St. Joseph’s College, 1678 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford.

Tickets for this year’s Spring Festival are now on sale at the University of Hartford’s Lincoln Theater Box Office, by calling (860) 768-4228 or online at www.hartford.edu. 

Please do not contact St. Joseph’s College for tickets. Ticket prices are: $15 for adults and $10 for children under 18.

Please be sure to ask for the correct show when ordering tickets:

June 12 at 7pm is for the A-F intensive students

June 14 at 3pm is for the A-F intensive students.

June 13 at 2pm is for Hartford Discovery, Children’s Ballet, Tiny Tap, and Foundation

June 13 at 5:30pm is Simsbury Discovery, Children’s Ballet, Tiny Tap, and Foundation

*All students in Discovery, Children’s Ballet, Tiny Tap, Tap1 or Foundation classes are entitled to one complimentary ticket to either A-F student show.  Please request this at the time of purchase.

Spring Festival Rehearsal Schedule

Thursday, May 14 th
D Ballet 4:30 – 5:45pm
D Modern 5:45pm – 7:30pm
7pm – 7:30pm
Pas De Quatre
7:30pm – 9pm
Pas de trois
Coppelia
Don Q all including Court dance No Cupids

Saturday, May 16th
(Please note that the Backstage Café will not be open. 
Students are advised to bring any food or beverages they may need)
1pm – 1:45pm Cupids with Aimy Day & Raechel Magna
1:45pm – 2:15pm
Pas de Trois
2:15pm – 4pm
Pas de Quatre, Coppelia, All Don Q including Court no Cupids

Tuesday, May 19 th
7:30pm – 9pm
Pas de quatre
Pas de trois
Coppelia
Don Q all including Court dance No Cupids

Thursday, May 21st
D Ballet 4:30 – 5:45pm
D Modern 5:45pm – 7:30pm
7pm – 7:30pm
Pas De Quatre
7:30pm – 9pm
Pas de trois
Coppelia
Don Q all including Court dance No Cupids

Saturday, May 23rd
1pm – 1:45pm Cupids with Aimy Day & Raechel Magna
1:45pm – 2:15pm
Pas de Trois
2:15pm – 4pm
Pas de Quatre, Coppelia, All Don Q including Court no Cupids

Calendar
Friday May 29 6pm Student Showcase in Roberts Theatre, Handel PAC
                        Includes General Program Students, Creative Dance and Outreach Students
June 8th – June 14th  - Spring Festival Production Week.

Attention Cello Students!
“A Cello Afternoon” workshop will be held on May 31st.  Register Today!

We are offering a half-day workshop for cello students on Saturday, May 30th from 1pm to 5pm.  We encourage you to come enjoy "A Cello Afternoon" with Hartt Community Division cello faculty member Susan Robison.     

“A Cello Afternoon” will be a fun and interactive exploration of the fundamentals of cello playing. 

This program is open to students who have had at least two years of playing experience. 

Each session will help guide students towards establishing a strong foundation by focusing on basic, yet important techniques as well as enjoyable ways to practice.

CLICK HERE for the flyer & more information. 

If you have any questions, please contact
Jill Burnham at jburnham@hartford.edu or 860-768-5772.

Spring Suzuki Group Class Concert Extravaganza:
May 31, 2009

12:15 Guitars
1:45 Cellos
3:15 Violas
4:45 Violins

Bristow Middle School
34 Highland St, West Hartford, CT 06119

Please arrive 20 minutes before your instrument’s concert is scheduled to begin, and wear your group class uniform.

DIRECTIONS FROM HARTT:
University of Hartford
200 Bloomfield Ave
West Hartford, CT 06117
     
1.    Head southeast on Bloomfield Ave/CT-189 toward University Dr            0.6 mi
2.    Turn right at Albany Ave/US-44                                    499 ft
3.    Turn left at Prospect Ave                                         1.2 mi
4.    Turn right at Fern St                                             407 ft
5.    Turn left at Highland St                                          0.1 mi

Bristow Middle School
34 Highland St
West Hartford, CT 06119

***SIGN UP TODAY***
Hartt Suzuki Institute August 2 – 7
A motivating opportunity for your child to develop and have fun using his/her instrument right here in West Hartford!
CLICK HERE!

HCD Students were featured on FOX 61 Wednesday morning. 
Check out this blog for a re-cap!

HCD Students were featured on FOX 61 Wednesday morning.  Along with some of our students, HCD Director, Mark George, & Gloria McAdam, the President of FoodShare were interviewed on FOX 61’s morning show on Wednesday, May 13.

Check out the FoodShare President Gloria McAdam’s BLOG, where she discusses her interaction with HCD students and their efforts to raise money to help the chronically hungry through the HCD Practice-A-Thon.    Read my blog!

Gloria J. McAdam, President and CEO
(860) 286-9999 X117
           
Help us reach the goal, there is still time to give!

Performer’s Certificate Prospective Class Entering Fall, 2009

During the first week of May 2009, invitation letters were sent to the prospective Performer’s Certificate Class of 2011.  Those students entering 10th and 11th grades in the fall 2009 that successfully performed on the spring 2009 honors recitals for each division, and have also received department recommendation, have been invited by Donna Menhart, program coordinator, to join the program.  Interested students must return the form enclosed with the invitation or contact Mrs. Menhart by June 1, 2009.

The Performer’s Certificate Program, which meets on Monday’s from 3:30-5:30, is a two-year comprehensive activity for the most talented high school instrumental and vocal performers, providing music theory, ear training, and music history classes along with performance opportunities, music seminars, and research and master class instruction by Edward Cumming, artist-in-residence.

The winds, brass, and percussion students will be invited to join the program after their auditions on May 16.

If you have any questions about the program or feel you are the appropriate age and have met the above criteria and have not received an invitation, please contact Donna Menhart at menhart@hartford.edu or 860-768-4120.

West End String Quartet to perform May 16th 7:30 pm





The West End String Quartet will be performing at St. Augustine’s Church in Seymour, CT on Saturday, May 16th.  The St. Augustine Church is located at 35 Washington Avenue Seymour, CT.  The concert will be held at 7:30pm, and will include works by Beethoven, Schumann and New Haven organist and composer Jay Lindsay.  A Free Will offering will be accepted at the door, and a reception will follow.

The West End String Quartet is comprised of HCD Faculty Members, Jessica Meyer (violin), Sarah Washburn (violin), Lisa Humphrey (viola) & Carlynn Savot (cello).

Infinitango in Concert



violinist – Jessica Meyer, accordionist – Markus Centola,
pianist - Maria Bessonova, and double bassist– Jonathan Crane

May 17, 3:00 PM at the Columbia Congregational Church
325 Route 87, Columbia, Connecticut 06237

Infinitango's (formerly Heart and Tango) performances combine the essence of Tango Argentino, Nuevo Tango, International Tango - the pulse, the sorrow and its emotional intensity together with the musicians’ personal expressions. Formed a few years ago in Connecticut and comprised of a violinist – Jessica Meyer, an accordionist – Markus Centola, a pianist – Maria Bessonova, and a double bass player – Jonathan Crane, this dynamic ensemble of young professionals has created a bright and unique repertoire equally suited for the dance hall or the concert stage. While evoking an unforgettable Argentine sentiment with classics from “Golden Age”, they also create new, innovative works with a timeless sense of beauty. Infinitango plays the music with a deep understanding of tradition as well as an obsessive desire to evolve the art form to new levels. For more information on upcoming performances, check our our myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/infinitango.

2009 Simsbury Chamber Music Festival
Performances on Tuesdays in May!

We would like to take this opportunity to announce this year's lineup for the Simsbury Chamber Music Festival. All concerts will take place at the First Church of Christ located at 689 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT. For directions, and more festival information, please go to our website: http://www.simsburychambermusicfestival.com/

This year's performers will include:

May 19 - The Kelet Duo
HCD Faculty Members Hungarian violinist Katalin Viszmeg
and Taiwanese pianist Pi- Hsun Shih

May 26 - Clarinetist Thomas Labadorf and the Ligeti Ensemble

HCD Summer Programs for Children

The Community Division is offering a number of week-long music camps this summer.  The programs are an affordable and convenient way for students to stay connected to the performing arts.  A summary follows. There are also other half-day programs available.

Complete details are available on our website using the links below.

Summer Music Programs:  http://hcd.hartford.edu/Programs/Summer.htm

Summer Dance Programs:  http://hcd.hartford.edu/dance/SummerDance.html

If you have questions about any of these programs contact us
at our main office at 860-768-4451 or harttcomm@hartford.edu
or
our Dance Department at 860-768-6000 dancedesk@hartford.edu.

HCD Ensemble Rehearsal Schedules

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

HCD Email Newsletter Quiz

This week’s question:    The bass member of the brass instrument section of an orchestra is the;
                 
a)          trumpet
b)         horn     
c)         trombone
d)         tuba     

Last week’s question:    Can you finish the chorus to Stephen Fotster’s My Old Kentucky Home:

For the old Kentucky home...

a)         good night.
b)         bye and bye.
c)         far away.

Correct Answer:     c) far away.

Quiz Winner:     Sarah Petersen.  Voice student of Nancy Andersen, participant in Hartt High School Chamber with Jack Pott, participant in Performer's Certificate with Donna Menhardt and Ertan Sener

This week’s prize:    A Hartt Community Division T-Shirt

To submit your answers: 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.

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

Cindy Mickens, 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, Jennifer Fuller 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.