Hartt Symphony Orchestra Performs Faculty Member Larry Alan Smith's Work 12/10

The Hartt School presents Hartt Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, December 10, at 7:30 PM, in Lincoln Theater, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford. Maestro Cumming conducts works that include España by Chabrier; Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz; and Symphony No. 3 by Hartt composition faculty member Larry Alan Smith. Admission is $20 with discounts for seniors, students, and groups. Please call the University Box Office at 860.768.4228 or 800.274.8587 or visit www.hartford.edu/hartt for tickets or more information.

Prior to the 2009 world premiere of Symphony No. 3 in Paris, composer Larry Alan Smith writes that Symphony No. 3 is in two movements. “The first movement begins with a three-note theme played by the horns. The theme permeates both movements, and it pays tribute to the late conductor Sheldon Jon Morgenstern by turning his initials (SJM) into a musical idea. He was a horn player before moving to the podium. As a result, the horn plays a major role in this work.”

Dr. Smith continued, “The second movement is about love, emotion, loss, confusion, and memory. It is through-composed, and its distinctly different (and programmatic) sections are held together by the presence of the two main themes.

Following his New York debut concert, Larry Alan Smith was praised by The New York Times as “a young composer of great gifts.” Since that time, he has developed an international reputation as a composer, performer, educator and arts executive. Many of today’s outstanding soloists, chamber ensembles, and orchestras have performed and commissioned works by Larry Alan Smith. Upon hearing the world premiere of his one-act opera, Aria da Capo, well-known Chicago-based critic Claudia Cassidy reported: “This is remarkable opera theatre . . . Smith has an ear for flaring brilliance . . . All this seems to me a true talent, primarily because I want to hear Aria da Capo again.”

While earning his B.M., M.M., and D.M.A. degrees at Juilliard, he was the recipient of several prizes, including the Joseph Machlis Prize for outstanding distinction in composition. During his final year of study, Dr. Smith was appointed to the faculty of the Juilliard School, where he taught from 1980-1986. Previously, he was on the composition faculty of The Boston Conservatory. For more information, visit www.larryalansmith.com.

The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts school of the University of Hartford that offers innovative degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded 90 years ago, 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.