The Connecticut Children's Chorus And HCD Dance Students Perform With The Hartford Symphony Orchestra

The Connecticut Children's Chorus, ballet dancers from the Hartt Community Division Dance Department, and the Hartford Chorale will perform with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra as they celebrate "the most wonderful time of the year" at the 2009 Holiday POPS! Spectacular on Thursday, December 10, at 7:30 PM, Friday, December 11, at 8:00 PM, and Saturday, December 12, at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM in the Belding Theater at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets range from $32.50 to 72.50; $12.50 with a student I.D. Tickets are available Monday through Friday between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM at Hartford Symphony Orchestra Ticket Services, 99 Pratt Street, Suite 500 in Hartford, by calling (860) 244-2999, or online at www.hartfordsymphony.org. The 2009-2010 POPS! Series is presented by United Technologies Corporation.

"Kids from one to ninety-two" will revel in festive carols and seasonal favorites, including "Sleigh Ride," "Silent Night," "White Christmas," "Troika Song," and "Carol of the Bells," all performed by the HSO and the Hartford Chorale. Ballerinas from the Hartt Community Division will twirl onto the stage for selections from The Nutcracker and the Connecticut Children's Chorus will join in the festivities for a holiday sing-along, as arranged by Hartt School Music Theatre Director Michael Morris. There also will be a special guest appearance from one of the world's biggest celebrities - Santa Claus - in his musical debut with the HSO.

"We are excited to bring our annual Holiday POPS! Spectacular to the Belding Theater this year," says HSO Executive Director Kristen Phillips. "The intimate setting of this theater will surround our audience with the sights and sounds of this Holiday winter wonderland."

The Connecticut Children's Chorus (CCC), under the direction of Stuart Younse and Sallie Ferrebee, is the Hartford region's most comprehensive youth chorus program and part of the Hartt School Community Division. CCC continues to thrive as our region's premiere children's chorus, boasting performance invitations with the region's best professional ensembles, and provides strength and excellence in training Connecticut's youngest talented voices. Past activities have included performances with the Hartt opera productions, CONCORA, and the Nashville Children's Chorus.

The Hartford Chorale, under the direction of Richard Coffey, is the primary symphonic chorus of the Greater Hartford community, particularly in its critically acclaimed collaborations with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Through such collaborations and with other organizations, the Chorale seeks to reach and inspire the widest possible audience with exceptional performances of a broad range of choral literature, including renowned choral masterpieces.

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 http://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. 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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