Hartford Conservatory
Encyclopedia
The Hartford Conservatory was a performing arts
school in Hartford, Connecticut
, that operated from 1890 to 2011. It offered programs in music
, dance
, musical theater and recording arts to post-secondary students on a pre-professional level. Its small student body, diverse in age, background and geographical area of origin, pursued immersion studies in music and dance with a jazz
emphasis. Some of its students became prepared nationally known performers and teachers.
The Hartford Conservatory was one of the nation’s oldest performing arts schools. It was founded in 1890 at the Hartford Theological Seminary as the School for Church Musicians. Five years later it became the independent Hartford School of Music. In 1934, Truda Kaschmann, a student of Mary Wigman
, brought modern dance
to the school. It later became known as the Hartford Conservatory and provided not only a community program of weekly instruction in music and dance for all ages and levels, but also an accredited two- and three-year post-secondary immersion program in music, dance, theater and recording arts.
The Conservatory was an active part of the musical life of Hartford, and the home of orchestra
and vocal groups that formed a major part of the arts scene especially in the first half of the twentieth century. Not only sacred
and secular classical music
performances, but city premieres of avant-garde
works were presented under Conservatory sponsorship in collaboration with the Wadsworth Atheneum
’s Chick Austin and other Hartford notables.
In its last thirty years of operation, the school had acquired a jazz and popular music
emphasis, teaching jazz dance
and music, and offering holiday performances of Duke Ellington
’s Jazz Nutcracker with the New England Jazz Septet and student choreographers
, musicians and dancers, and sponsoring master classes with dance artists like Jacques d'Amboise and Savion Glover
.
The school had a small student body of fewer than one hundred students of varied ages, backgrounds and geographic regions of the country and the world, and a faculty all currently performing in their respective fields. Among the artists that have been part of the Conservatory as students or teachers over the past 120 years are:
The conservatory's board of trustees voted in September 2010 to close in May 2011, the end of the 2010-2011 academic year, allowing current students to graduate. School officials attributed the decision to a "mix of competitive and economic factors, not the least of which is the venerable institution's business model."
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
school in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, that operated from 1890 to 2011. It offered programs in music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, musical theater and recording arts to post-secondary students on a pre-professional level. Its small student body, diverse in age, background and geographical area of origin, pursued immersion studies in music and dance with a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
emphasis. Some of its students became prepared nationally known performers and teachers.
The Hartford Conservatory was one of the nation’s oldest performing arts schools. It was founded in 1890 at the Hartford Theological Seminary as the School for Church Musicians. Five years later it became the independent Hartford School of Music. In 1934, Truda Kaschmann, a student of Mary Wigman
Mary Wigman
Mary Wigman was a German dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor.A pioneer of expressionist dance, her work was hailed for bringing the deepest of existential experiences to the stage...
, brought modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
to the school. It later became known as the Hartford Conservatory and provided not only a community program of weekly instruction in music and dance for all ages and levels, but also an accredited two- and three-year post-secondary immersion program in music, dance, theater and recording arts.
The Conservatory was an active part of the musical life of Hartford, and the home of orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
and vocal groups that formed a major part of the arts scene especially in the first half of the twentieth century. Not only sacred
Religious music
Religious music is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence.A lot of music has been composed to complement religion, and many composers have derived inspiration from their own religion. Many forms of traditional music have been adapted to fit religions'...
and secular classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
performances, but city premieres of avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
works were presented under Conservatory sponsorship in collaboration with the Wadsworth Atheneum
Wadsworth Atheneum
The Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest public art museum in the United States, with significant holdings of French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as extensive holdings in early American furniture and...
’s Chick Austin and other Hartford notables.
In its last thirty years of operation, the school had acquired a jazz and popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
emphasis, teaching jazz dance
Jazz dance
Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance...
and music, and offering holiday performances of Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
’s Jazz Nutcracker with the New England Jazz Septet and student choreographers
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
, musicians and dancers, and sponsoring master classes with dance artists like Jacques d'Amboise and Savion Glover
Savion Glover
Savion Glover is an American tap dancer, actor, and choreographer. As a learning prodigy, he was taught by notable dancers from previous generations. Glover is currently interested in restoring African roots to tap...
.
The school had a small student body of fewer than one hundred students of varied ages, backgrounds and geographic regions of the country and the world, and a faculty all currently performing in their respective fields. Among the artists that have been part of the Conservatory as students or teachers over the past 120 years are:
- Betty AllenBetty AllenBetty Allen was a renowned American operatic mezzo-soprano who had an active international singing career during the 1950s through the 1970s...
, operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer and former director of Harlem School of the Arts - James Argiro, jazz pianist
- choral director Ralph Baldwin
- pianists Ward Davenny and Grayson HughGrayson HughGrayson Hugh is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, Hammond B3 organ player and composer born in Hartford, Connecticut. He was the first generation of his family to be born in the United States. Hugh grew up surrounded by classical music, his father being the classical music radio host Ivor...
- vocalists Alyson Bristol, Peter HarveyPeter HarveyPeter Harvey is an award-winning Australian television journalist.He has been with the Nine Network since 1975 and currently he presents the mailbag segment on 60 Minutes as well as being a reporter on Nine News and a regular contributor on Today.Harvey studied his journalism cadetship with the...
and Teresa Stich-RandallTeresa Stich-RandallTeresa Stich-Randall was a European-based American soprano opera singer.-Biography:Teresa Stich-Randall was born in New Hartford, Connecticut in 1927 and studied at The Hartt School in West Hartford.... - cellists Charles Krane and John RileyJohn RileyJohn Riley was a poet who was associated with the British Poetry Revival.Riley was born and grew up in Leeds. He served in the Royal Air Force from 1956 to 1958 and then attended Pembroke College, Cambridge, graduating in 1961. He then worked as a teacher in various schools around the Cambridge area...
- percussionist Alexander Lepak
- Cirque du SoleilCirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
choreographer Michael Montanaro - dancers Douglas BoulivarDouglas BoulivarDouglas Boulivar dancer, dance teacher and choreographer. trained at the Royal Ballet School and performed with the Repertory Dance Theatre, Ballet of the Twentieth Century, Dancers in Repertory, Bill Evans, Anna Sokolow and Mel Wong...
, Margarita Froman and Alwin NikolaisAlwin NikolaisAlwin Nikolais was an American choreographer.Nikolais studied piano at an early age and began his performing career as an organist accompanying silent films. As a young artist, he gained skills in scenic design, acting, puppetry and music composition...
The conservatory's board of trustees voted in September 2010 to close in May 2011, the end of the 2010-2011 academic year, allowing current students to graduate. School officials attributed the decision to a "mix of competitive and economic factors, not the least of which is the venerable institution's business model."
Further reading
- Huntington, Caroline W., 75 Years at the Hartford Conservatory, 1965.
- Sherwood, David, The Hartford Camerata Conservatory: A 100-Year Retrospective, 1990.