Hilary Field Respass Appointed Director of the Hartt Community Division

The Hartt School of the University of Hartford is proud to announce the appointment of Hilary Field Respass as the new Director of the Hartt Community Division. Ms. Respass, currently Executive Director of Preparatory and Continuing Education at New England Conservatory (NEC) in Boston, MA, will begin her new role at Hartt in May.

Hartt Dean Aaron Flagg shared his enthusiasm for Respass's appointment, saying, "I could not be more pleased to welcome Hilary to The Hartt School family as Director of the Hartt Community Division. Her personal warmth and broad management experience in the arts - as well as her aptitude as a presenter, educator, and national service organization leader - bring a valuable perspective to the University. As The Hartt School turns 90, her collaborative leadership skills and ability to think strategically will be great assets to our current planning process and to how the Community Division defines the intersection of excellence and access for all."

A graduate of NEC and the University of Michigan, Ms. Respass is a trained clarinetist, with degrees in music education and performance. She has more than twenty years of professional experience working in the arts in a variety of capacities. In addition to her most recent leadership role, Ms. Respass has served NEC as Head of Operations and Institutional Planning (2007-2009), spearheading the institution's strategic planning process; as Manager of Performance Services (1995-1998), during which she was heavily involved in the Restoration and Re-Opening of NEC's Jordan Hall; as Budget Director (1994); and, just after graduate school, as Office Manager of what is now called Preparatory and Continuing Education. Ms. Respass was Managing Director of the highly acclaimed contemporary music ensemble Boston Musica Viva (1991-1993).

After leaving NEC in 1999, Ms. Respass became Director of Operations at the Aspen Music Festival and School, where she directed the production and facilities operations staff for the campus and concert facilities, and served on the construction project team for the $15 million Benedict Music Tent and Burlingame Housing Project.

From 2002-2006, she served as Director, Artistic and Management Services for the American Symphony Orchestra League. In that capacity, she directed the Orchestra Management Fellowship Program, the Ford Made in America commissioning project for 65 regional orchestras across the country, the Mentors Program, and the Music Alive composer-in-residence program for orchestras.

Respass says of her appointment, "I am thrilled to join the team at The Hartt School and the University of Hartford. I look forward to working with faculty, staff, parents, and members of the community at large to propel the Community Division to its next phases of success in arts education and engagement."

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 Schoolis the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford that offers innovative degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. 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 on The Hartt School, visit www.hartford.edu/hartt.

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