Richard P. Garmany Fund Renews And Increases Funding For The Hartt School

The Hartt School, the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford, is pleased to announce that the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has granted Hartt $45,000 to support The Richard P. Garmany Chamber Music Series for 2010-2011. The 2009-2010 Series was made possible in part by a $30,000 grant from the Garmany Fund, one of the first awarded by the Fund. Mr. Garmany, who lived in Avon and was an executive at Aetna, created the Fund at the Hartford Foundation before his death in July 2008.

"Richard Garmany believed in the value of the arts, and of music in particular," said David Polk, executor of the Garmany estate. "I think supporting this important and unique new concert series at The Hartt School, which also enriches the entire Hartford community, is an especially fitting way to honor his memory."

The 2009-2010 Series, in its inaugural year at Hartt, has brought capacity crowds to delight in the tremendous talents of the American Brass Quintet, Bolcom and Morris, and David Finckel and Wu Han. The 2009-2010 Series concludes on April 8 with the renowned St. Lawrence String Quartet. Artists for the 2010-2011 Series will be announced this spring.

Hartt Dean Aaron Flagg also expressed gratitude for the gift. "Following the unqualified success of this first year of the Richard P. Garmany Chamber Music Series, we are thrilled to receive this generous vote of confidence from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and the Richard P. Garmany Fund. The increasing diversity of the programming and the enthusiasm of the audiences truly have made each concert an event. We look forward to bringing more incredible artists to the Greater Hartford community to benefit everyone, including our students."

The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford that offers innovative degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. With more than 400 vocal and instrumental concerts, recitals, plays, master classes, opera performances, dance concerts, 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.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region, dedicated to improving the quality of life for area residents for the past 85 years. The Foundation receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals and families, and last year, awarded grants of nearly $26 million to a broad range of area nonprofit organizations. For more information about the Hartford Foundation, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.