100 Years of Hartt

1902: Julius Hartt wrote to his wife (Jennie) requesting that she and their children come to Europe as he studies piano. "From my point of view, I am convinced that it is our only wise course for you and the family to come over here as soon as spring opens up and arrangements can be made there. It is wrong in principle for the husband to have everything in the way of privileges and fine friends and the wife nothing; and there is no reason why such a family should be a happy one; and every reason to expect that the children in it are going to suffer…as a consequence... I am by nature too unselfish to my having things which I cannot share with those whom I love... And I do love my wife as I never loved anyone unless it is my babies and I can't bear to go on in this selfish way for two years."

1912: Morris Perlmutter made his professional piano debut at Hartford’s Unity Hall on Pratt Street. 1916: “My friend Hartt has a young pupil of 21 years who is extraordinary as a musician and pianist. …I am convinced he is a real genius…This boy, who in 3 days learns by heart a whole Brahms sonata, is a modest and simple boy—humble and without a shadow of pretension. He does not enthuse and does not live except under the inspiration of music.” Ernest Bloch

1914: Julius Hartt became Music Editor for the Hartford Times "Education is a continuous process. Culture is a progressive study. It admits of no standstill. It is a habit of mind, not an inert accumulation of knowledge. And when it ceases to progress it really ceases to exist. No one can study music to much purpose if he shuts himself up to the study of music exclusively. It is at this point that so many would-be-musicians fall down." Julius Hartt, Letters of a Musician, “Letter to a Young Lady,” 1918

In 1935, Julius Hartt resigned from the Hartford Musical Foundation, Inc. due to a prolonged illness.

1919: The Julius Hartt, Moshe Paranov and Associated Teachers Music School was established at Hartt’s home at 188 Sigourney Street. Ernest Bloch moved next door to the seminary. Shortly thereafter, the school was renamed The Julius Hartt School of Music and moved to 222 Collins Street in Hartford.

1920: Julius Hartt School of Music was founded by Julius Hartt, Pauline Hartt, Moshe Paranov, and Samuel Berkman at 184 Sigourney Street, and moved soon after to 222 Collins Street.

1920-1921: THE FIRST CATALOGUE: Statement of beliefs and values "To teach and be taught, to be taught through teaching; to give and to receive, to receive in giving; the teacher to learn of the pupil, the pupil to learn of the teacher; reciprocal education: this is the fundamental philosophy upon which the Julius Hartt School of Music bases its practice and its hope of usefulness." "The Julius Hartt School of Music believes that for teachers and pupils alike to be must precede to do. It believes that for teacher or pupil it is impossible to build up a superstructure of musical attainment without a solid foundation of personal character and comprehensive education along many lines." "Music is but one aspect of an all comprehensive whole, and that that whole many be called education; that it is in reality life; that life is art; and that art is nature moulded in the crucible of law, of discipline, and of experience."

1924: Moshe Paranov married Pauline Hartt “At that time, I was only in love with my music but we were together day in and day out. And I fell in love with her and she fell in love with me. I was pursuing my career like mad and she was pursuing her career like mad and we decided to pursue them together.” Moshe Paranov

1927: The first college courses are offered at the school “We had to build an institution to train these musicians as well-rounded persons.” Moshe Paranov

1934: First Board of Trustees (The Hartford Musical Foundation) In 1936 the name was changed to The Julius Hartt Musical Foundation in honor of Julius Hartt. “I am grateful beyond measure to the entire Board of Trustees, to each and every member of the faculty and administrative staff for what they have done and are doing. Their sacrifice and unfailing devotion have made possible our institution as it stands today.” Moshe Paranov

1935: Moshe Paranov plays Bach’s Concerto in C for three pianos at the Bushnell Memorial Hall with Harold Bauer and Ossip Gabrilowitch (Mark Twain’s son-in-law). In his review of Bauer’s playing, Julius Hartt wrote, "No pianist of the period has so steadily and increasingly influenced American musical development. His appeal has never been addressed to the sensation-loving masses. The quiet dignity and fine modesty of an artist too great to exploit himself, and too true to indulge in the theatrical, he has been to a unique degree an artist to artists, a pianist to pianists, a musician to musicians. Only history can award him his proper place in the musical development of the period."

1937: Alfred C. Fuller becomes Trustee and later President of the Board of Trustees. Paranov spoke of Fuller: "As for my Board of Trustees, without their patience and understanding, this School could never be. Speaking for my entire staff, you have our wholehearted thanks. If any of you think you are harassed by me, there is one man who has proven he can take it! To stand me and my hallucinations, a man must be a super man––brave, with the patience of Job and the skin of an alligator. That man deserves yours and my admiration and love. I present him to you and I am sure I speak for all of you when I say we are forever in his debt for what he is doing for us and humanity."

1937: In Louis Pellettieri was appointed director of the Julius Hartt School of Music (non-collegiate community music school). "The JHSM is virtually the preparatory division of Hartt College. The training of musicians begins then, not at the college level, but at the pre-school and elementary school levels. I came to Hartt as a student in 1927 at the recommendation of the late Ralph Baldwin, who was then supervisor of Music in the Hartford Public Schools. My association with Hartt as student, teacher, and administrator covers a span of 42 years. I have had the honor of working under the dynamic and inspiring leadership of Moshe Paranov, who infected me with an incurable virus called Harttitis. My admiration for him as a musician and above all as a human being is boundless. He firmly believes that Hartt College and the Julius Hartt School of Music are the greatest schools in the world. And so do I!" Louis J. Pellettieri, 1963

1937: Alwin Nikolais was Connecticut’s most highly decorated dance artist of the 20th century. He was awarded the National Medal of the Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987. He began his illustrious modern dance career by teaching modern dance at the Julius Hartt School of Music in the late 1930s. Nikolais became the director of dance programs at Hartt in 1940, until he joined the United States Army in 1942. When he returned to Hartt in 1946, Nikolais continued to teach and choreograph numerous dances and operas until he moved to New York City to begin the Nikolais Dance Theatre. Photo caption: Television was choreographed by Alwin Nikolais (1955). Photographer unknown, University of Hartford Archives and Special Collections

1938: The Hartt School Training Orchestra directed by Rubin Segal is founded. The orchestra was renamed the Hartford Youth Orchestra in the 1950s.

1938: The JHMF Board purchased the 187 Broad Street property from the Hartford Seminary. Nina Paranov described the Julius Hartt College of Music as a family. “Mattresses were kept under the piano so students could stay all night and practice any time of the night. When the school bought the 187 Broad Street house in 1938, it was deemed one of the safest buildings in Hartford during the war because of its two basements.”

1939: Irene Kahn Berkman joins Moshe Paranov in the first of many acclaimed duo-piano recitals given at the new Broad Street location. Irene and Sam Berkman were married in 1925.

1940: Dance Instruction began at the JHSM. "Before I depart for that locale known as heaven (where I shall be head of a very important musical school with the finest Dance Department!), I am first going to have a dance department at the Julius Hartt School of Music. When that time comes, you [Nikolais] will be an integral part of this activity. " Moshe Paranov, 1948

1942: The First Hartt Opera Production: Ten Maidens and No Man by Franz von Suppe, and Here and There, written and conducted by Paul Hindemith.

1942: CT State Board of Education approved Music Education Courses “The Hartt Music Education program is an outgrowth of and emerged from a strong professional program in music. Its object was to develop professional musicians who would be able to transmit their enthusiasm, high professional standards, skills and concepts of excellence to the young people in public and private schools.” The Julius Hartt Board of Trustees Task Force, 1964

1942: The Julius Hartt Musical Foundation Board of Trustees announced the inauguration of the opera department headed by Yale University drama director, Elemer Nagy. “The Julius Hartt School in its new opera department follows its own tradition of setting its standard at the top. It is difficult to progress upward from the top but this amazing institution judged upon its record can be expected even to manage that.” The Hartford Times Elemer Nagy musing about Pauline (Dot) Paranov "Mrs. Paranov has a keen sense of exactly duplicating the sketches I give her. She cuts her own patterns, not even using standard sleeve or bodice outlines, and cuts them to the measurements of the people singing the roles for which the costumes are intended. She confesses to some difficulty in getting the accurate measurements of the girls’ waistlines. They have a habit of writing down what they wish they had in inches rather than the actual ones!" "The sensation of the season was the inauguration of our opera department. We were indeed fortunate when that great artist Mr. Friedrich Schorr joined our faculty. It can be told now that he has caught that insidious disease called Hartt-enthusiasmitis with which they say we are all infected. Despite or because of this horrible infection, he proceeded to revolutionize our vocal department.” Moshe Paranov, 1942 Board of Trustee report.

1942: Truda Kaschmann, former student of German choreographer Mary Wigman, is credited with introducing Connecticut to modern dance. After her arrival from Germany, Kashmann taught modern dance at many schools in the Greater Hartford area to include Hartford Conservatory of Music and The Hartford College for Women between 1935-1980s. By the 1950s, a children’s dance department was developed offering ballet and modern dance classes. Ms. Kaschmann chaired the non-collegiate division, and choreographed the dance sequences for Hartt’s opera production of “Hansel and Gretel.” Photo caption: Truda Kaschmann teaching modern dance in the Hartt Children’s Dance Department in the 1950s. Photographer: Edward Saxe Studio, University of Hartford Archives and Special Collections

1943: Moshe Paranov conducted Hansel and Gretel, the country’s first televised grand opera broadcast over television in Schenectady, NY. IMAGES Elemer Nagy created the Correlux set design system. "We journeyed to Schenectady and televised “Hansel and Gretel” on December 23rd over General Electric’s station WGRB. The fact that this was the first grand opera ever to be televised adds another feather to our cap." Elemer Nagy "In her memoirs of Hartt history, Ethel Bacon, the Hartt College librarian, recalled “Music-making nearly twenty-four hours a day! Building opera scenery in the sub-basement ’til 3 a.m.!”

1943: Collegiate and noncollegiate summer session began at The Julius Hartt School of Music.

1948: Moshe Paranov conducted the first concert of the newly revised Hartford Symphony Orchestra "Ever since the Bushnell Memorial began to make symphony orchestra music a regular part of Hartford’s cultural program a great many people have confessed to me their ignorance on the subject of symphonies. By getting acquainted with the different instruments, by learning something about the composers and the music and by applying this new knowledge when listening to orchestras, the concert patron will discover that he has added immeasurably to his capacity for enjoying this wonderful art."

1948: Isadore Freed, Chair of the Composition Department, established the Institute of Contemporary American Music (ICAM) at Hartt. Famous composers came to Hartt including Federick Jacobi, Otto Luening, William Schumann, Virgil Thomson, Walter Piston, Aaron Copland, John Cage, John Corigliano, Chen Yi, Morton Feldman, Jennifer Higdon, Joan Tower, William Bolcom and many others. Arnold Franchetti became a leader in ICAM.

In 1948, classes began to be offered in the science of acoustics and recording. Nina Paranov became audio director for the school in 1961. David Budries described Nina as “the most quiet backbone of the institution.”

1950: The school's logo was created and adopted by the JHMF Board of Trustees "This indescribable enthusiasm known as “Harttitis” has infected not only those of us who have worked together for 30 years, but every person who joins this group. This infection, thank God, is one which no sulfa drugs or penicillin fan hope to cure. For the sake of Julius Hartt and his ideals, we have all dedicated our lives according to our school motte “In the Service of the Beautiful”. "Moshe Paranov wrote in his 1948 JHMF Board of Trustees report that a legitimate school should offer “to the youngster, a thorough basic training; to the adult and layman, a program which leads to a deeper understanding and enjoyment of music; to the serious music student, a comprehensive course which will equip him to earn a livelihood in one of the many branches of this great art.”

1950: NASM grants full accreditation to The Hartt College of Music "The study of music develops coordination and tones up the system. There are at least four human elements involved in musical expression: mental, physical, emotional, and aesthetic. Al these can and do take place at the same time. The mind must grasp the meaning and intent of the composer’s thought as indicated by the notation and give direction at the same time to that part of the body whose function it is to play or sing, which instantly responds with the necessary action to give the desired effect. At the same time there is a direct emotional response engendered by the tonal revelation of the composer’s thought, the imagination is kindled, and the being is aglow with the beauty of it all. That is the power of music. It is that feeling—that elevation into the higher realms of the spirit, that illumination that comes most vividly from music that makes it the grandest of all the arts. Samuel Berkman

1950: Henry Cowell, Aaron Copland, and Roger Sessions were programmed for the second Institute of Contemporary American Music (ICAM) Edward Diemente joined the faculty as a piano, theory, and composition teacher. "Our friends, our community, and the musical world have come to expect great things from us. So far, the Julius Hartt Musical Foundation has never faltered in our responsibility to them and we must not let them down now or at any future time. The rare and indomitable Julius Hartt spirit which seems to permeate the soul of every human being associated with our institution is stronger now than ever before. This light of truth must never be allowed to be extinguished. Director’s Annual Report to the trustees," Moshe Paranov, October 29, 1952.

1950: Alexander Lepak founded and directed the Hartt Percussion Department, followed by Ben Toth in 1992.

1951: The Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music Education degrees are approved. The Hartt College of Music. A non-collegiate junior and adult divisions is formally established called The Julius Hartt School of Music. Nathan Gottschalk became dean of the Hartt College of Music faculty. "Nothing can compare with the joy that can be derived from a beautiful performance, giving a good lesson or lecture, teaching a class, forming and directing new bands, orchestras, chamber music groups and opera companies, and opening the world of music to hundreds of human beings, old and young. It is my fervent wish, therefore, that this unique joy may be so great that you will give daily thanks to your Maker for being one of those whose lives are consecrated In the Service of the Beautiful." Moshe Paranov, Allegro Yearbook, Hartt College of Music, 1952

1953: William Schuman, President of the Juilliard School, selected Hartt to premiere his first opera, The Mighty Casey. Photo captions: Hartt Opera Theater Guild productions collection (ARCH120). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections. Elemer Nagy Collection (ARCH125). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections.

1956: The JHMF Board of Trustees endorsed the plan of establishing the University of Hartford. Hartt College, Hillyer College, and the Hartford Art School joined forces to found the university. Moshe Paranov remarked that joining the university was necessary financially. “We have not $1.00 of endowment; there is not one cent available for research, a pension plan, for sabbatical leaves. We have had no salary [increase] system; out of 80 faculty members only 10 receive $4,000 a year. Such an action will be in the best interests of this great educational and artistic enterprise that we have labored devotedly to build.” Moshe Paranov 1953 Board Report

1957: Governor Abraham A Ribicoff signed a bill granting a charter to the University of Hartford "The last twelve months have been the most exciting, breathtaking, stimulating and time-consuming experience in our entire history. Ours has been the almost superhuman task of integrating the curricula and policies of three widely divergent institutions. I am proud to tell you that our faculties and administrative officers, along with heads of three colleges, have worked together very harmoniously. In fact, I have never witnessed a group of people who have given of themselves so unstintingly." Moshe Paranov Ethyl Bacon commented about the move: "About 1959 we were ordered out of the crowded music building. Everything was moved to the third floor in the north wing of Hartford Public High School, across the street. A highway detour at the time made crossing the busy street rather difficult. The last items to be moved were the performing collections, loaded into canvas laundry carts on wheels, pulled across, dodging traffic, then carried up the three double flights of stairs. Here it was extremely cold in winter and stifling hot in summer. And when the high school’s marching band practiced beneath the open windows the noise was deafening." Ethyl Bacon, Head Librarian

1959: Aaron Copland was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree. Photo caption: Hartt School collection (ARCH062). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections.

1962: Comedian Jack Benny appeared with the Hartt College of Music Symphony Orchestra in the Bushnell Auditorium as part of a fund-raising effort for the school’s new facilities. 1963: The Hartt College of Music and the Julius Hartt School of Music relocated to the University of Hartford. “Mr. Fuller has been one of the prime movers in this entire undertaking and has again demonstrated his brilliant leadership in laying a solid foundation for the University of Hartford. There is no doubt that our University will be built upon rock and not upon sand.” Moshe Paranov, 1957 “Sound-proofed, air-conditioned building with 44 studios and practice rooms; 14 academic and administrative offices; 28 faculty offices; four rooms for musical instruments and storage; an observation and recording room, conference facilities; student and faculty lounges; a technical music library, a large rehearsal hall, and a musical theater.” Moshe Paranov 1962 regarding move to University of Hartford. “For years I went to bed every night to dream that there would be a check in the mail the next day for a million dollars to perpetuate the work and home of Hartt College. One morning it was there, directed to us by your friend and mine, Alfred C. Fuller. Farewell to 187 Broad Street, where the miracle germinated! Onward to 200 Bloomfield Avenue, where it is flowering and where with joyous sounds, it will serve the musical youth of our nation in the Alfred C. Fuller Memorial Center for many grateful generations to come.” Moshe Paranov, 1963 Board of Trustees report

1962: Groundbreaking ceremony for the Alfred C. Fuller Music Center, University of Hartford campus. 1963: Hartt relocated from 187 Broad Street to the University of Hartford campus. 1963 The dedication exercises for the Alfred C. Fuller Music Center featured soprano Marian Anderson and main speaker Douglas Moore, Professor of Music, Emeritus, Columbia University. The concert celebrating the dedication of the Fuller Music Center featured violinist Isaac Stern, cellist Leonard Rose and the Hartt Symphony Orchestra. Photo caption: Hartt School collection (ARCH062). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections.

1963: Famed singer Marian Anderson performed for the formal dedication of the Alfred C. Fuller Music Center. Nina Paranov (Moshe’s daughter) recalled that she drove Marian Anderson around town in her “little old Chevy” and described Anderson as very humble with “no delusions of grandeur.”

1963: Louis J. Pellettieri founded the Greater Hartford Community Chorus.

1963: The Hartt Library renamed The Mildred P. Allen Library, Ethyl Bacon director, 1960-1987

1963: Edward Miller assembled Hartt’s first electronic music studio in a vacant elevator shaft on the first floor of the Fuller Building. Edward Diemente, Stephen Gryc, Robert Carl and Ken Steen followed as directors of the program.

1964: The 187 Broad Street building was demolished to make way for Interstate I-84. Students and faculty alike were saddened to lose their home.

1966: Gerald Mack was appointed head of choral activities. His successors included Rick Coffee, Pam Perry, and Paul Oakley, and Edward Bolkovac.

1970: Jackie McLean began teaching African-American history at Hartt full-time. The Artists Collective was founded by Jackie and Dollie McLean.

1970: 50th Anniversary celebrations: 1970: Pianist Grant Johanneson and cellist Zara Nelsova performed with the Hartt Symphony Orchestra 1971: Fiftieth Anniversary Concert featured Pinchas Zukerman, violin, Eugenia Zukerman, flute, Raymond Hanson and Anne Koscielny, pianists, and the Hartt Chamber Orchestra with Vytautas Marijosius conducting. 1971: Leonard Rose and Issac Stern returned to Hartt to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary and Paranov’s 75th birthday with an all-Brahms concert.

1971: Vytautas Marijosius joined the faculty and for 35 years taught opera, chaired the Department of Applied music and directed the orchestral activities. Here he conducts The Hartt College of Music Orchestra for the 1971 Concert Contest winner, Peter Woodard, performing Ravel's Piano Concerto in G.

1971: Aaron Copland conducted the Hartt Symphony Orchestra to celebrate his 70th birthday.

1971: Moshe Paranov retired and Donald Mattran became the acting head of the college. Libby Warner remained as dean of students for the Hartt College of Music.

1971: Jazz Major added—Jackie McLean director “Ivey always believed that no matter what kind of music you're interested in terms of African American music, you have to come through the tradition. If you don't study the history of the music, to understand what went on before, listen to all that music, from Scott Joplin to King Oliver to Jelly Roll Morton, all of the wonderful musicians, if that isn't part of your program, then you've got a big hole in your program.” Jackie McLean of Jazz Study

1972: The Greater Hartford Community Chorus, directed by Louis J. Pelletieri, performed Mendelssohn’s Elijah featuring soloists Arthur Thompson and Ester Hinds Brown.

1975: Cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed with the Hartt Symphony Orchestra at the Bushnell in a benefit concert for the Hartt Scholarship Fund. Photo caption: Hartt School collection (ARCH062). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections.

1980: Hartt College of Music was renamed Hartt School of Music and the Julius Hartt School of Music became the Community Division. Photo caption: News and Views, Highlights, and The Observer collection (ARCH076). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections.

1980s: The Music Production and Technology program instituted at Hartt was led by David Budries, then Scott Metcalfe, Kathleen Zavada-Machose, Matt Baltrucki, and Justin Kurtz.

1981: Mstislav Rostropovich, conductor and cellist, together with violinists Philip Ruder '62 and Daniel Kobialka '66, the Hartt Symphony Orchestra and conductor Charles Bruck, presented a gala celebration concert in honor of violinist and Hartt faculty member Raphael Bronstein. Photo caption: Paranov photograph collection (ARCH129). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections.

1982: University of Hartford presented and honorary Doctor of Music degree to "Dizzy" Gillespie. Photo captions: Office of Communications photographs (ARCH101). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections. Office of Marketing and Communication records (ARCH 115). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections.

1987: John Feierabend joined the Hartt music education faculty.

1987: Teri and David Einfeldt joined the Community Division to lead the Suzuki program. “Our mission as artists and artist-educators is above all humanitarian. We are the true guardians of the nation’s spiritual life. We understand instinctively that no civilization can ever be remembered fondly or commemoratively if its artistic contribution is negligible. The arts are a fundamental part of the humanizing process.” Donald Harris, Dean

1987: Yehudi Menuhin's week-long residency at Hartt culminated in a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in New York's Alice Tully Hall and the airing of the documentary Menuhin at Hartt over Connecticut Public Television. Photo caption: Paranov photograph collection (ARCH129). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections.

1988: Nat Reeves, faculty member at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, performing in Berkman Auditorium.

1990: Emerson String Quartet was the quartet-in-residence at Hartt since 1980. They received two Grammy Awards for their Deutsche Grammophon recording of the Bartok String Quartets. Photo captions: Paranov photograph collection (ARCH129). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections. Office of Marketing and Communication records (ARCH 115). University of Hartford Archives & Special Collections.

1992: John Feierabend initiated a children’s chorus (Connecticut Children’s Chorus, CCC). Over time it has been directed by Robert Hugh and Sallie Ferrebee, and later by Stuart Younse and Meredith Neumann as a laboratory/training choir for educators.

1994: The dynamic Enid Lynn had a dream to transform the Hartford Ballet’s Teacher Training Program into an undergraduate degree. At a Mo’s Midtown Restaurant Hartt’s Dean Larry Allan Smith, former Hartt Community Division Director, Michael Yaffe, and Enid strategized the creation of a BFA in Ballet Pedagogy, and BFA in Dance Performance at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School. After the programs were approved, Ms. Lynn became Dance Division Administrator, while former leading dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Peggy Lyman Hayes, became Hartt’s first Dance Division Director. Together they established a prestigious undergraduate collegiate curriculum that continues to prepare young performing artists and future dance educators. Photo caption: Enid Lynn teaching modern dance to a student in the Teacher’s Training Program at the Hartford Ballet (1960s). Photographer unknown, University of Hartford Archives and Special Collections

1995: Letter of recognition for Jackie McLean: "Jackie had appeared on every major international stage as soloist and in the company of acclaimed colleagues such as: Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Winton Marsalis, etc. The Hartt African-American music program, he has nurtured some of our best known alumni (Sue Terry, Bob Mintzer, Abraham Burton, Eric McPherson, Steve Davis, and Alan Palmer). If the Hartt School's Jazz program established international renown it is because of Jackie McLean’s stewardship. Signed: Imanuel Willheim, Peter Woodard, Charles Turner, Kenneth Nott.

1998: Hartt dance students from the first graduating class of 1998 were selected to perform Uroboros (choreographed by Jean Grande-Maitre) at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, DC) as part of the American College Dance Festival. In June 2000, Uroboros was again performed on the Inside/Out Stage at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival by Hartt undergraduate dancers along side members of Dance Connecticut. Photo caption: Hartt dancers perform Uroboros choreographed by Jean Grande-Maitre (1998). Photography: The Estate of Jennifer W. Lester

1998: The repertory of George Balanchine has been a Hartt Dance tradition. Hartt’s continued relationship with The Balanchine Trust and Balanchine répétiteur, Victoria Simon has brought numerous master works to Hartt throughout the years. Ms. Simon first set two Balanchine works in 1998: Stars and Stripes and Valse Fantasie. Since then Hartt Dance has continued to present other Balanchine works, such as: Serenade, Concerto Barocco, Four Temperaments and Who Cares? Photo caption: Who Cares? Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust

2002: Former chair of music production and technology, Scott Metcalfe, and assistant director, Justin Kurtz, in the former Studio A, room 349 of the Fuller Building.

2001: The Hartt Theatre Division officially began a Partnership-in-Training with the Tony Award winning Hartford Stage Company. A similar partnership with GOODSPEED MUSICALS began around that time.

2003: The Hartt Theatre Division presents Ragtime

2003: Nat Reeves (JMI Jazz Faculty), Larry Willis (Masterclass Guest Artist), Tony Reedus (Masterclass Guest Artist) and Steve Davis (JMI Jazz Faculty) performing in Room 342.

2006: Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Joseph Schwantner was the Unclaimed Property Composer in Residence* at The Hartt School. *Sponsored by Susan Brake

2006: Current professor of music industry, Gabe Herman, pictured in the former Studio A.

2008: Located at 35 Westbourne Parkway in Hartford, the Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center, opened in 2008, was converted from an industrial building designed in 1929 by pioneering industrial architect Albert Kahn. The 56,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility provides performance and rehearsal spaces, classrooms, and studios for students in The Hartt School's Dance and Theatre Divisions, as well as Hartt Community Division's dance program.

2008: The Dance Division moved out of the old Hartford Ballet studios, and into the new innovative arts center (HPAC) along with the Hartt Theater Division. On the heels of the move, Stephen Pier was recruited as director of dance, and a fresh new era began for Hartt Dance. Photo caption: Stephen Pier choreographing at HPAC, Fall 2019. Photographer: -Eduardo Patino. NYC-

2008: Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Michael Colgrass was Unclaimed Property Composer in Residence* at The Hartt School. *Sponsored by Susan Brake

2008: Founder of the Hartt MPT program (in 1994), David Budries (right), and former MPT chair Scott Metcalfe.

2008: MPT students working Hartt Studio B just after the first renovation in 2008.

2009: The Hartt Wind Ensemble Released it’s first recording on the NAXOS label. The recording featured the trombone concerto Passaggi by Hartt Faculty Composer Stephen Michael Gryc and was performed by the Principal Trombonist of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Joseph Alessi. Hartt’s Music, Production and Technology Professors, Justin Kurtz and Gabe Herman in addition to their students captured and edited the recording.

2010: The Hartt Theatre Division presents Coram Boy

2010: Guest choreographers bring real world performance experiences to Hartt dance students. Every year, students have the opportunity to work with some of today’s most innovative choreographers, such as: Bryan Arias, Claudia Schreier, Greg Dolbashian, Gemma Bond, and many more. Professor Kathryn Stevinson-Nollet creates dances and mentors future choreographers at Hartt. Undergraduate students enhance their choreographic skills through Prof. Stevinson-Nollet’s expanded composition curriculum, and the senior capstone performances are always a highlight for every 4th Year student.

2010: The Hartt Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Hartt Director of Bands, Glen Adsit made it’s Carnegie Hall debut performing the world premiere of Chen Yi’s Dragon Rhyme and Hartt Alumni composer Jess Turner’s Rumpelstiltzchen.

2010: Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Jennifer Higdon was the Unclaimed Property Composer in Residence* at The Hartt School and received an Honorary Doctorate from The University of Hartford. *Sponsored by Susan Brake

2011: Classical Modern Dance training is a cornerstone of the dance curriculum, and performing modern classics by Martha Graham, Jose Limon and Doris Humphrey are a source of pride. Among the many Martha Graham dances presented, Dark Meadow Suite (a condensed version of a previous larger work by Martha Graham), was set on Hartt dancers in 2011 by Peggy Lyman Hayes and Miki Orihara. Then in 2012, the dance division was invited to perform Dark Meadow Suite at New York City’s Joyce Theater. Former dancer with the Jose Limon Dance Company and Associate Professor, Nina Watt, has taught and directed several Limon and Humphrey dances while at Hartt. In 2015, Watt restaged the classic Limon work: “Psalms.” Using a new musical score by Hartt composer, Kathryn Swanson-Ellis, “Psalms” was performed by Hartt dancers at the Joyce Theater as part of the Jose Limon International Dance Festival. Photo caption: Martha Graham’s Dark Meadow Suite performed by Hartt dancer (2011). Photographer: John Long, with permission from the Martha Graham Dance Company

2012: Pulitzer-Prize winning composer John Corigliano was the Unclaimed Property Composer in Residence* at The Hartt School where the Hartt Wind Ensemble performed Circus Maximus and the Hartt Symphony Orchestra performed his Symphony No. 1. *Sponsored by Susan Brake

2012: The Hartt Wind Ensemble Released it’s second recording on the NAXOS label. The recording featured Hartt Faculty soloists Anton Miller playing the Kurt Weill Violin Concerto, Carrie Koffman playing the World premiere performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble. The recording also featured the world premiere recording of Chen Yi’s Dragon Rhyme. Hartt’s Music, Production and Technology Professors, Justin Kurtz and Gabe Herman in addition to their students captured and edited the recording.

2013: Collaborations between divisions at the Hartt School are frequent and customary. One such undertaking was Stravinsky’s composition for the ballet, Petruschka in 2013. Parts of the stage floor in Lincoln Theatre were removed to accommodate the full Hartt Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Edward Cummings; and choreographer Stephen Pier, ballet mistress Hilda Morales and the dance students of the Hartt Dance Division took on the monumental task. Hartford Art School professor, Power Boothe’s abstract set designs intensified the fusion of new and original choreography that created a fresh interpretation of Michel Fokine’s original. Photo caption: The first scene from ”Petruschka” performed by Hartt dancers (2013). Photographer: John Long

2015: The Hartt Theatre Division presents Nicholas Nickleby

2015: Hartt’s Foot in the Door Ensemble was invited to perform two concerts at the internationally acclaimed Dark Music Days Festival in Reykjavik, Iceland. The Ensemble featured music of Hartt Composer, Ken Steen and also included Hartt alumni composers and performers.

2015: The Hartt Wind Ensemble Released it’s third recording on the NAXOS label. The recording featured three world premiere recordings including Raw Earth by Susan Botti, and Concerto for Winds and Percussion by Hartt faculty composer Stephen Gryc and Rumpelstiltzchen by Hartt alumni composer Jess Turner. Hartt’s Music, Production and Technology Professors, Justin Kurtz and Gabe Herman in addition to their students captured and edited the recording.

2018: During the summer of 2018 Hartt faculty member Gabe Herman worked tirelessly to design and coordinate the renovation the former room 342 in the Fuller building to create a professional quality music recording space.

2018: The renovated recording studio supports recording projects in all areas of the Hartt School and provides a first rate training ground for Hartt music production and technology students.

2018: One of the first recording sessions in the newly renovated recording studio.

2019: Hartt’s Foot in the Door Ensemble under the direction of Glen Adsit and Edward Cumming performed at the College Band Director’s National Association Convention on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The program included works by Hartt faculty composers Gilda Lyons (Unclaimed Property Composer in Residence* 2019) and Stephen Gryc in addition to Hartt alumni composers Shuying Li. Guest soloists included Hartt Faculty Marc Goldberg (bassoon) and Gilda Lyons (soprano). *Sponsored by Susan Brake