Hartt Vocal Division Announces New Faculty

The Hartt School, the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford, will welcome soprano Maureen O'Flynn, bass-baritone Claude Corbeil, and historical dance specialist Thomas Baird to the faculty of the Vocal Studies Division.

Maureen O'Flynn, Senior Artist Teacher, has been a frequent performer at the Metropolitan Opera and has appeared on the stages of the world's most famous opera houses in the United States and Europe. Ms. O'Flynn is teaching private voice. Of an opening night performance of Roméo et Juliette at the Metropolitan Opera, The New York Times said the soprano "won a deserved ovation from the audience," and Variety exclaimed, "not only a superb technician, with the full coloratura arsenal at her disposal, but a sensitive interpreter."

Claude Corbeil, Senior Artist Teacher, is one of Canada's most honored performers and a veteran of opera and concert stages throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. Corbeil performed on the operatic and concerts stages of the world for more than 39 years. Corbeil made his operatic debut at the age of 17 in the role of Chichibio in Mozart's L'Oca del Cairo. This launched a career in which he became best known for his portrayals of opera's favorite comedic characters, including Leporello, Basilio, Figaro, Sulpice, Don Alfonso, Dulcamara, Don Magnifico, Don Pasquale, Gianni Schicchi, and Falstaff. He also has sung Mephistopheles, the 4 villains in Tales of Hoffman, Don Giovanni, Colline, Johanahaan, Frere Laurent, Raimondo, to name a few. Claude is teaching junior and senior vocal performance seminars.

Thomas Baird, Artist Teacher, is a professional dancer who specializes in historic dance forms and is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. He is on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Purchase College, and the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet. Baird has been active as a performer, reconstructor, choreographer, and teacher of baroque dance for more than fifteen years. He is founder and co-director of Apollo's Banquet, an ensemble of dancers and musicians that specializes in presenting outstanding choreographies of the early 18th century in concert. He was the Period Movement Coach for the Broadway productions of O'Neill's A Touch of the Poet, and, at Lincoln Center Theater, Sheridan's The Rivals. He choreographed period dances for Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac starring Placido Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera. For the past five seasons, he has choreographed and performed period dances for the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts at Avery Fisher Hall. He is working with the sophomore vocal performance majors on historical dance as part of the undergraduate opera-training curriculum.

Hartt Theatre Division faculty member JohAnna Morrison now also is teaching courses within the Vocal Studies Division. Johanna is working with sophomore vocal performance majors in acting class as part of the undergraduate opera-training curriculum. Johanna received acting training in her native England and brings a lifetime of stage and teaching experience to her work. Her commanding stage presence is well known to audiences in the Hartford area and throughout the United States. After appearing on television and in many regional theatres in England, she moved to the United States, where she has appeared in theatres including the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Museum Theatre, Theatre by the Sea, Hartford Stage Company, Indiana Repertory Company, Denver Centre Theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory Company, and Milwaukee Chamber Theatre.

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.

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