DATE SET FOR HARTT COMMUNITY DIVISION 2013 AUDITION FESTIVAL
Greater Hartford students invited to audition for Hartt bands, orchestras, choirs, and chamber music programs
The Hartt School Community Division (HCD) hosts its 2013 Audition Festival on Sunday, June 9, 2013. The Audition Festival is an all-day event where students from across the region have the opportunity to audition for HCD’s large ensemble program, which includes 8 orchestras, 3 wind ensembles, 8 choirs, a Latin jazz percussion ensemble, and chamber music programs for strings, winds, and brass. The Audition Festival is at the Alfred P. Fuller Center at the University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford. Auditions are free, though it is necessary to reserve a time in advance. To request an audition time, visit
hcd.hartford.edu, email
harttcomm@hartford.edu, or call
860.768.4451.
Each year The Hartt School Community Division brings together more than 750 of the regions most talented young musicians to work with accomplished conductors in 18 large instrumental and vocal ensembles. Hartt offers students ages 5 to 18 the opportunity to receive rigorous ensemble training in a vibrant and supportive environment. The ensembles enjoy a myriad of performance experiences including collaborations with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, appearances at music festivals, and participation in tours. HCD’s ensemble program encompasses a great range of ages and skill levels. In a sense, young students grow up musically in the programs, progressing from one ensemble to the next as they build on their experience, skills, and knowledge. HCD student Katie Knox of Unionville, CT, says “As a homeschooler, this is particularly important to me because I don’t have as many opportunities to participate in a variety of ensembles with my peers. And as HCD also offers programs that accommodate various skill levels, I look forward to moving up into more advanced groups, as I become a better musician.” Ms. Knox currently is a member of Sinfonia String Orchestra and the Latin Jazz Percussion Ensemble at the Hartt Community Division.
HCD’s annual Audition Festival not only is a day for students to audition for ensembles, but also an opportunity for families to meet ensemble directors, listen to chamber music ensembles, and discover all the ways a youngster can grow in a musical world. Auditions are open for bass, bassoon, cello, clarinet, euphonium, flute, French horn, guitar, harp, oboe, percussion, piano, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, tuba, viola, violin, and voice. HCD’s audition experience extends beyond the 10 minutes spent with the adjudicators in the audition room. Outside of the actual audition, prospective students and families may experience performances by student chamber ensembles, explore certificate programs for high school students, learn about musicianship classes, and interact with directors, teachers, and experienced students from the program.
The Hartt Community Division’s Ensemble Program serves as one aspect of students’ overall music education. Many students who take lessons or participate in school music programs also join Hartt ensembles because it gives them a chance to learn or refine new skills, work with other enthusiastic musicians, and experience the power of making music as part of a collaborative group. Connecticut Children’s Chorus member Teresa Cortés of Simsbury, CT, says “I look forward to the rehearsals every week, not only because I get to see the people I've made such good friends with over the years, but also because of the amazing amount of musicality that happens in those two hours. Director Dr. Younse not only teaches us what our pieces technically sound like, but also what they feel like…which makes music far more enjoyable.” The Connecticut Children’s Chorus’s ability to make music a powerful and emotional experience has earned it frequent appearances at conferences and festivals, including the Connecticut Music Educators Association Conference in 2012 and the Organization of American Kodaly Educators National Conference in 2013.
The Hartt School Community Division (HCD) of the University of Hartford is a comprehensive community arts school that annually provides performing arts instruction to more than 2,000 students. HCD offers a variety of lessons, classes, and performance opportunities in music and dance for students of all ages, experience levels, and abilities. For more information on The Hartt School Community Division, visit
www.hcd.hartford.edu.
The Hartt School is the performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford that offers innovative degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920, Hartt has been an integral part of the University of Hartford since its charter merged the then Hartt School of Music, the Hartford Art School, and Hillyer College to create the University in 1957. 2010 marked Hartt’s 90th year of providing world class performing arts education to students in Greater-Hartford and around the world. With more than 400 concerts, recitals, plays, master classes, dance performances, and musical theatre productions each year, performance is central to Hartt’s curriculum. For more information about The Hartt School, visit
www.hartford.edu/hartt.
High-resolution photos of Connecticut Children's Chorus and/or Connecticut Youth Symphony available upon request.
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