Hartt School Community Division Hosts 2011 SUMMER VOCAL INSTITUTE

Singers, dancers, and actors: Mark your calendars! This summer, The Hartt School Community Division will host its Summer Vocal Institute: Musical Theater Intensive (SVI: MTI) from June 24 to July 2, 2011.

Designed especially for students grades 8 to 12, SVI: MTI is a personalized and intensive program for singers, actors, and dancers who want to take their vocal, dramatic, and dance skills to the next level in a short time. Along with daily acting, dance, and voice classes, participants study, rehearse, and perform musical scenes chosen specifically for them by the experienced SVI: MTI directors, resulting in a public performance at the end of the program. The theme of this year's program is Real Life on Broadway - Musical Vignettes Inspired by True Events.

Auditions for SVI: MTI will take place at The Hartt School, University of Hartford, on Saturday, March 19, 2011, from 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM; Sunday, April 3, 2011, from 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM; and Saturday, April 16, 2011, from 12:30 PM - 5:30 PM. Alternatively, applicants may submit an audition recording, videotape, or DVD, along with their resumes; recorded auditions must be postmarked or sent electronically no later than Wednesday, April 20, 2011. To schedule an audition, learn more about the audition/application requirements, and/or to get more information about the program, contact the Hartt Community Division main office at 860.268.4451 or visit www.hcd.hartford.edu.

Guest faculty already confirmed for 2011 include:
· Voice and Acting: Janelle Robinson, from the Broadway cast of Mary Poppins
· Acting and Improv: Emma Tattenbaum-Fine, from the cast of "Political Subversities" Live Show at Joe's Pub and The People's Improv Theatre (The P.I.T.) in NYC
· Dance and Choreography: Kristen Schoen-Rene, Radio City Rockette
· Stage Director: Katie De Vries, free-lance NYC director
· Music Director: Jonathan De Vries, St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's School and The Cathedral School, NYC
· Peak Performance: Rae Tattenbaum, Peak Performance Coach, Inner Act

Other prominent guest artists will be added before the start of the program. Broadway guest artists from past years include Alan Held from the Metropolitan Opera; Craig Schulman from Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Jekyll and Hyde; Lisa Rohinsky from Gypsy; Wendy Cavett from Mama Mia; Sarah Pfisterer, from The Phantom of the Opera and Showboat; Phantom of the Opera music director Tim Stella; and actor/director Kirby Ward from the West End's Crazy for You and several Broadway productions.

SVI: MTI students have pursued further study at some of the country's most acclaimed institutions and have successful careers in the arts. According to Tom DeFrancesco, an active Broadway musician, "The Summer vocal institute is the best college preparation program available for young singer and actors. The program enriched and perfected my developing voice, giving me a distinct edge on other college performers. The rigorous training is essential to anyone pursuing a career in theater. Through this program, we were privileged to meet and work with a faculty comprised of active musicians, coaches, Broadway performers, and directors. Not only did SVI offer me superior training, it introduced me to a network of professional performers, coaches, and colleagues who are still in touch several years later. Most importantly, SVI provided me with the training, focus, and fundamentals that I have used to build my career as an active New York City musician."

The Hartt School Community Division of the University of Hartford is a comprehensive community arts school providing instruction in music and dance for individuals of all ages and experience levels. It is a division of The Hartt School, one of the seven colleges of the University of Hartford. The Community Division is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Community and Pre-College Art Schools, is an active member of National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, and is viewed as a national model for community schools based on university campuses. It is one of the largest and most evolved programs of its kind in the country. For more information on The Hartt School Community Division, visit www.hcd.hartford.edu.

The Hartt School is the comprehensive 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 a year, performance is central to Hartt's curriculum. For more information about The Hartt School, visit www.hartford.edu/hartt.