The Hartt School

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The Hartt School


Established	1920
Type	School of Music, Dance, and Theatre
Dean	Malcolm Morrison
Location	West Hartford, CT, USA
Campus	Suburban
Affiliations	University of Hartford
Website	http://www.hartford.edu/hartt

The Hartt School is a school of performing arts located in West Hartford, Connecticut, primarily providing postsecondary programs in music, dance, and theatre. It is generally recognized as one of the premiere performing arts conservatories in the United States.

Hartt offers graduate degrees in Music in addition to its undergraduate programs. Also, Hartt provides arts classes to Greater Hartford through its Community Division.

It was founded as a music conservatory in 1920 by Julius Hartt, Moshe Paranov, and others. In 1957 it became one of the three original constituent schools of the University of Hartford.

The school consists of 7 "divisions":

Instrumental Studies Division
Vocal Studies Division
Music Education Division
Academic Studies Division

(All of the above divisions are music related)

Dance Division
Theater Division
Community Division

All of the divisions boast internationally renowned faculty. Notably, Hartt is home to the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, The Hartt New Plays Festival, and has close ties to Dance Connecticut. The Miami String Quartet is also in residence at The Hartt School.

The Theatre Division emphasizes the development of new plays and musicals. Each spring, the New Plays Festival is held, giving students the chance to work on several new works. Students work with the playwright, helping to give shape to the new work. During the 1998 to 1999 season, Hartt produced the first fully staged production of the musical Battleship Potemkin by Jeff Couchman and Eric Allaman, and the plays, Don’t Tell the Tsar by Michael McKeever and Eye of the Beholder by faculty member, Henry Fonte. Battleship Potemkin was also performed in concert at the New York Theatre in New York City. During the 1999 to 2000 season, the musical theatre program presented the new musicals, 2 Gents by Lee Ahlin, William Shakespeare and Paul Mullens and Perfect 36 by Laura Harrington and Mel Marvin. The actor-training program presented Lightning from Heaven by Scott C. Sickles and Season by Melanie Marnich. In December 2000, music theatre student’s presented the world premiere of Crazy Mary, a play about the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, by Jan Tranen and Gary Schwandt. In the spring of 2001, the New Play Festival premiered Charlotte Samples’ play Darlin’ and Frank Canino’s The Angelina Project. The Theatre Division continues the festival yearly debuting two new plays and musicals per year.

The Theatre division has close connections with Hartford Stage Company and the Goodspeed Opera House. The senior Actor Training majors are cast in Hartford Stage Company's annual production of A Christmas Carol. The senior Music Theatre majors are cast in Goodspeed's annual New Works Festival.

The Hartt Dance Division produces three main stage repertory programs each year. Students may audition for the Touring Ensemble, which performs in schools and other venues throughout the region, including Jacob's Pillow in Lee, Massachusetts. Hartt Dancers were recognized in 1998 as one of five ensembles chosen at the New England Region American College Dance Festival to perform at the Kennedy Center as part of the National Festival.

Very close ties are held between Hartt and The Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Insturmentalists are known to participate in The Hartt Symphony Orchestra as well as a multitude of other performance groups. Vocal performance majors have numerous opportunities for solo singing in concert, opera, chamber music and oratorios. Student vocalists are often soloists with the orchestral and choral ensembles of The Hartt School. The Music Education program is rated as one of the best in the country.

The Hartt School has three major performance spaces at The University of Hartford's main campus: Millard Theatre, Lincoln Theatre, and Berkman Hall. The Fuller Building, also on the main campus, is the primary home to classes and administrative offices. Additionally, The Hartt School is home to The Allen Performing Arts Library.

Recently, the Actor Training and Musical Theatre programs have moved the vast majority of their classes to the University of Hartford's Asylum Avenue Campus (what was the campus for the now dissolved Hartford College for Women). All rehearsals, voice studios and administrative offices for the theatre division are now centered on this campus. It currently provides rehearsal spaces and Upper Cheney Theatre (a small black box).

The Dance and Vocal divisions currently hold many of their classes at The Dance and Opera Center, an off-campus facility.

As of 2007, The Hartt School is in the process of building a $30 million performing arts center. The centers plans include for state of the art performance spaces, rehearsal halls, teaching rooms, and studios.

The Hartt School of the University of Hartford is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, the National Association of Schools of Dance, and the National Association of Schools of Theatre. Its programs in music education are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and Hartt shares the University of Hartford accreditation by the Commission of Higher Education of the State of Connecticut and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.