The Hartt School of the University of Hartford Presents a COLLABORATIVE CONCERT OF AMERICAN MUSIC, 4/20

The Hartt School of the University of Hartford presents a Collaborative Concert of American Music featuring great American musical treasures, as well as selections from Hartt's newly acquired Jack Elliott Collection, on Friday, April 20, at 7:30 PM in Millard Auditorium. This celebration of American music features the Hartt Symphony Orchestra, along with students from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, and special guests John Clayton and Hartt alumnus Michael Barrett, as well as remarks by Hartt alumna and Grammy award-winning entertainer Dionne Warwick. Please call the University of Hartford Box Office at 860.768.4228 or 800.274.8587 or visit www.hartford.edu/hartt for tickets and up-to-date scheduling information for all performances. Admission is $20 with discounts for seniors, students, and groups. 

The first half of the program features the Hartt Symphony Orchestra performing "Symphonic Dances" from West Side Story, by Leonard Bernstein, and "An American in Paris" by George Gershwin, both conducted by Hartt alumnus Michael Barrett. Mr. Barrett has been the artistic director of the Caramoor Festival for the past eight seasons. A protégé of Leonard Bernstein, Barrett has earned an international reputation as a conductor, pianist, administrator, and champion of American music.

The second half of the program, conducted by Hartt's Director of Orchestral Activities Edward Cumming and also including performers from Hartt's Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, features six symphonic pieces commissioned by the Foundation for New American Music. Jack Elliott, a West Hartford native and alumnus of The Hartt School who graduated in 1951 and was namEd Hartt Alumnus of the Year in 1975, started the Foundation 1978. Elliott was a prominent television and film composer, conductor, music arranger, and television producer, who served as music director for the Grammy Awards for 30 years. His most well-known television work includes the theme songs to Night Court, Charlie's Angels, and Barney Miller. Elliott died in 2001.

This concert presents Hartt's debut performance of music from the Collection, and includes two movements from Souvenir de Porto Rico by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, orchestrated and arranged by Jack Elliott; "Open Me First," by John Clayton; "The Star Spangled Banner," orchestrated by John Clayton; the first movement of Symphonic Dances (Symphonische Tanze) by Claus Ogermann; "After Thoughts" by Ray Brown; and "1941" by John Williams. In addition to honoring Jack Elliott's legacy, working with the Collection as part of a multi-year project provides students of The Hartt School with an exciting opportunity to study, perform, and record a unique body of late twentieth century compositions of both historical and artistic importance.