Wanted:  Singers for Patriotic Concert
May 22, 2011 

The Connecticut Philharmonia ensemble is preparing the Wilhousky setting of the Battle Hymn of the Republic for their concert on May 22, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in Millard Auditorium at The Hartt School, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Ave. West Hartford, CT 06117.

Director Alan Francis is looking for a group of outstanding singers to sing the choral parts of this piece.  Many of you know this beautiful and dramatic rendition of The Battle Hymn already and we ask that you may share your time, talent and voices to this endeavor.  Past experience has shown that young instrumentalists are often stunned and moved when singers join them for their concerts. The High School Chamber Ensemble, directed by Jack Pott and the Hartt Community Division Adult Ensemble, Celesti Sondato, directed by Noah Glynn will be singing, but we need more voices to balance the Philharmonia.

We are looking for 30 - 40 singers to be committed to this project by May 8th.  We will get the music to you ahead of time so that you may learn it.

Rehearsal & Performance Schedule:

May 21  10:00am Chorus rehearsal with Jack Pott at The Hartt School - Bliss Rehearsal Hall.  At 10:45am the Chorus will join the CT Philharmonia instrumentalists in Millard Auditorium

May 22  7:00 - 8:30 pm  Warm-up and rehearsal in Bliss Hall and we move to Millard for the choral part of the program.  The Battle Hymn will be last, probably on stage between 8:15 and 8:30 pm 
 Dress will be simple for both men and women:  all black, or black on the bottom and red, white or blue top, preferably solid colors.

For those of you who know The Battle Hymn well, please note the following text changes:  p. 7 Men's chorus:  For the beauty of the lilies, soldiers serve across the sea, Not for glory but for duty that protects both you and me:  As they die to keep our safety Let us live to make all free, While we go marching on.  At the end (p.11) SATB will be singing "Marching on" instead of "A-men."  We will have scores for you with these word changes.

If you are able to share your talent, time and voice with us, please contact the Hartt Community Division office by May 8, 2011 and let us know:  860-768-4451 or harttcomm@hartford.edu  Thank you!

Audition Day:  June 5, 2011 ~ Sign up today!

We are proud to announce a restructuring of our Instrumental Ensembles for the 2011-12 season.  

Harmony Winds will be offered for intermediate winds, brass and percussion students of middle school age.  Conducted by Mr. Alan Francis, this group will meet on Saturday mornings from 11:15-12:15 and is designed to motivate younger students who are looking for a regional wind ensemble performance experience. 

Connecticut Philharmonia will change as well, into two separate intermediate-advanced ensembles: Sinfonia for string students and Philharmonia Winds for woodwind, brass and percussion students. 

Also, new this coming year, Opus 89 String Orchestra will expand its offerings to include performances of Baroque and early Classical repertoire with full orchestra.  Wind and percussion students will be selected to join the Opus 89 string players for these full orchestra selections.  Opus 89 students will continue to perform string orchestra repertoire in addition to the full orchestra literature. 

Greater Hartford Youth Wind Ensembleand Connecticut Youth Symphony will continue their long-standing tradition of offering one of the best advanced high school  performing ensemble experiences available to students in our region.

Our Chamber ensembles provide an opportunity to hone and refine the ensemble skills of beginning, intermediate and advanced students of all ages in a small, collegial atmosphere. 

The Connecticut Children's Chorus (CCC) is one of the region's most comprehensive youth chorus programs, training some of Connecticut's most talented young voices.   Open by audition to students entering grades 1-12, these choirs perform a wide variety of literature and receive regular training in vocal development and musicianship. All rehearsals are on Tuesdays from 5:30pm until 7:00pm (7:30pm for Concert Choir) on the University of Hartford campus.  The Connecticut Children's Chorus is the official children's chorus of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
 

This year's auditions will be held on June 5, 2011. Click here for technical requirements (audition guidelines) for each ensemble by instrument. Students will be placed in an ensemble appropriate for their level. It is possible for students to be offered multiple positions within our ensemble program. The purpose of these auditions is to ensure that each student will have a positive and valuable experience at The Hartt School through appropriate placement in our large ensemble program.  Request an audition time today!

Guitar & Harp Honors Students Announced

Congratulations to the following HCD guitar and harp students nominated and accepted to the 2010-11 Guitar & Harp Departmental Honors Concerty, which will be held at 8pm on Thursday, May 19th in Berkman Recital Hall.  The concert is free and open to the public.  

Ernie Andreoli, Rob Avena, Elisha Bettencourt, Elizabeth D'Andrea, Felipe Di Poi, Hannah Dunn, Joshua Fernandez, Jesse Kulynych-Griffith, Morgan Grady-Benson, Richard Hansen, Sam Henke, Seth Heye-Smith, Kimberly Jackman, Sam Lostocco, Matthew Miskin, Nikolus Mermegas, Emmett Moberly-LaChance, Drake Muth, Charles Pfeifer, Shravya Rao, Caleb Ritter, Jordan Thompson, Julian Waddell.

These are students of Yovianna Garcia Alvarado, Rebecca Flannery, Dan Hartington, David Madsen and Jim Rickevicius.