HARTFORD, February 2, 2012 – The Hartford Symphony Orchestra 2011-2012 Jazz and Strings Series will pay tribute to legendary saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley on Friday, March 2, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. at the Theater for the Performing Arts at the Learning Corridor in Hartford.  Featuring guest saxophonist and West Hartford native Erica von Kleist and guest trumpet artist Nadje Noordhuis performing alongside Jazz and Strings Artistic Director and HSO principal timpanist Gene Bozzi, HSO bassist Rick Rozie, frequent HSO arranger and pianist Walter Gwardyak, and members of the HSO string section, program highlights will include popular Adderley arrangements such as “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” “Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don’t Tease Me),” and “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” as well as original tunes by Erica von Kleist.

HSO Jazz and Strings artistic director Gene Bozzi says, “As one of the great alto saxophonists, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley had an exuberant and happy sound that communicates immediately to listeners. Our next HSO Jazz and Strings concert will feature music from two albums that Adderley recorded with strings: “Cannonball” Adderley with Strings and Jump for Joy. The first album featured Adderley surrounded by lush strings on familiar ballads such as “You Are Too Beautiful.” His second album with strings, Jump for Joy, featured his thrilling, well-constructed alto sax improvisations over such tunes as “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good” and “Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don’t Tease Me),” At times, Bill Russo’s innovative string arrangements on this album treated the string section like horns in a big band, creating a unique, rarely explored jazz sound.  Our HSO string section is going to have fun with this one!”

The solo saxophonist for this concert is West Hartford native and Hall High School graduate Erica von Kleist. Von Kleist has already made her mark in the New York jazz scene as one of the most in-demand young musicians, performing and recording with Wynton Marsalis, Chris Potter, Sean Jones, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society. The 2009 Downbeat Magazine Critic’s Poll voted von Kleist a “Rising Star” on flute and she was recently profiled in Jet Magazine as one of Wynton Marsalis’ chosen up-and-coming young jazz musicians. She has been commissioned to compose for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, The Juilliard School and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. von Kleist has been honoured with several awards from ASCAP and received the 2009 Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Dutch/Australian trumpeter and composer Nadje Noordhuis is a member of Darcy James Argue’s Grammy nominated Secret Society and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. She has played at international jazz festivals in the USA, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, and Croatia. She is featured on the 2010 release, Johnny Mandel: The Man and His Music, which was recorded live at Lincoln Center and conducted by Johnny Mandel.  In 2007, Nadje was one of ten international semi-finalists for the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Trumpet Competition, where her performance was described as “recalling the great Rafael Mendez’s programming and technique” (All About Jazz).

Gene Bozzi is the HSO Principal Timpanist and Artistic Director of the Jazz and Strings Series. As one of the premiere drummers in Hartford, he has played with such notables as Dave Liebman, Steve Swallow, and Gerry Mulligan, among others.  He has performed Brazilian jazz with the Claudio Roditi Quartet and toured Russia with the Hendrik Muerkins Quartet in 2007. He is a percussion instructor at Wesleyan University and Trinity College, and serves as the Music Department Chair at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts.

Initiated in March 2009 by HSO principal timpanist Gene Bozzi, the HSO Jazz and Strings Series brings collaborative performances of Jazz and Classical music to downtown Hartford.  Performances to date have included the music of John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hartman, Clifford Brown, Charlie Parker and Stan Getz and have featured performances by such notable jazz musicians as Tina Fabrique, Sweet Sue Terry, Claudio Roditti, Wayne Escoffery, Giacomo Gates, Kris Allen, Joel Frahm, and Shawnn Monteiro.

CALENDAR LISTING:
HSO JAZZ AND STRINGS: “CANNONBALL” ADDERLEY WITH STRINGS
with Erica von Kleist, saxophone; Nadje Noorhuis, trumpet; Gene Bozzi, Jazz & Strings artistic director, drums; Walter Gwardyak, piano; Edward Rozie, acoustic bass; HSO String section
Friday, March 2, 2012 │ 8:00 p.m.
Theater for the Performing Arts at the Learning Corridor│359 Washington Street Hartford, CT│Free, Secure Parking
Program: A tribute to two of Adderley’s albums: Cannonball Adderley with Strings and Jump for Joy, along with original charts by Erica von Kleist
Ticket Information: Single tickets to this performance are $20 for orchestra seating, $40 for center orchestra seating. Student tickets are $10. To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860) 244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season is sponsored by Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism.

HARTFORD, February 1, 2012 – The Hartford Symphony Orchestra will present “Sounds of the European Masters,” the second concert of the 2011-2012 Sunday Serenades Chamber Music series, on Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in the Courtyard of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.  This program is inspired by the Wadsworth’s European Art collection and will feature performances of works by Brahms, Saint-Saëns, and Menotti.  Sunday Serenades Artistic Director and HSO Concertmaster (principal violinist) Leonid Sigal will join HSO Principal Clarinet Curt Blood, HSO principal French horn Barbara Hill, and HSO Pianist Margreet Francis for this intimate chamber program.

The European Art collection at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art comprises works from the medieval to the modern period, with a particularly strong focus on Italian Baroque paintings and Surrealist works. The Museum’s European Decorative Arts collection includes ancient glass and bronzes, Italian maiolica, Venetian and façon de venise glass, nautilus cups, ostrich-egg ewers, mounted ivories, silver-gilt vessels, Meissen porcelain, and Vincennes and Sèvres porcelain.  Inspired by these works of art, Sunday Serenades artistic director Leonid Sigal has programmed a concert comprised of music by three European composers: Camille Saint-Saëns’ Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E-flat Major, Gian Carlo Menotti’s Trio for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano, and Johannes Brahms’ Trio for Violin, Horn, and Piano in E-flat Major.

HSO Concertmaster and Sunday Serenades Artistic Director Leonid Sigal has enjoyed a multi-faceted career as recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestra leader.  Born in Moscow, Russia, he began violin studies at age five. He moved to the US in 1995 when he was awarded a prestigious fellowship with the New World Symphony. A devoted chamber musician, Mr. Sigal frequently appears with the Miami Friends of Chamber Music and the Avery Ensemble, and has served as Artistic Director of the Miami Chamber Symphony.

One of the northeast’s pre-eminent teachers and performers, clarinetist Curt Blood has held the Principal Clarinet chair in the Hartford Symphony Orchestra since 1982. With the HSO, he has performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Boston’s Symphony Hall. He has performed at the International Music Festival at Santander, Spain and serves as principal clarinetist with Buzzards Bay Musicfest in Marion, Massachusetts. Mr. Blood holds teaching positions at the University of Connecticut in Storrs and The Hartt School of the University of Hartford.

This is Barbara Hill’s fourth season as Principal Horn with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.  She joined the HSO in October 2006 as Fifth Horn, and held the position of Acting Second Horn for the 2007-08 season.  Ms. Hill also has been a member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra where she was Acting Principal and Second Horn, and has performed with numerous Canadian orchestras including the Calgary Philharmonic and Orchestra London Canada.

Margreet Francis is a member of the Hartford Symphony where she plays piano, harpsichord, and celesta.  Her performances have been recorded for the Centaur label and regularly broadcast over radio and T.V. Ms. Francis performs on a regular basis with members of the Miami String Quartet and the Hartford Symphony. She also spent several years playing piano with the New World Chamber Ensemble, Chamber Music Plus, the Soni Fidelis Woodwind Quintet and Trio ARIOSO.

CALENDAR LISTING:
HSO SUNDAY SERENADES SERIES: SOUNDS OF THE EUROPEAN MASTERS
with Leonid Sigal, artistic director and violin; Curt Blood, clarinet; Barbara Hill, French horn; Margreet Francis, piano
Sunday, February 26, 2012 │ 2:00 p.m.
Courtyard │ Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Program: Johannes Brahms: Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano in E-flat Major; Camille Saint Saëns: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 167; Gian Carlo Menotti: Trio for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano
Ticket Information: Tickets are $30 ($25 for HSO Subscribers and Atheneum Members). Ticket price includes general admission to the Wadsworth Atheneum on the days of the concerts. To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860) 244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.

The HSO 2011-12 Sunday Serenades Series is sponsored in part by the Saunders Charitable Foundation Music Endowment at the Wadsworth Atheneum. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism.

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is located at 600 Main St. in Hartford, Connecticut.  The Museum is open Wednesdays to Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Please visit www.wadsworthatheneum.org for more information.

Cathedral of Saint Joseph
140 Farmington Avenue, Hartford
www.cathedralofsaintjoseph.com
860-249-8431

Dr. Edward Bolkovac returns to lead the massive combined forces of the Hartford Symphony, the Hartt School Choirs, the Hartford Chorale, the New Haven Chorale, and the Cathedral Choir in an unforgettable performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s incomparable Requiem. Of this performance, Sacred Sounds Music Director Dr. Ezequiel Menendez says, “This concert undoubtedly will be the largest scale production that has ever been performed in the Cathedral of Saint Joseph. We are bringing together the greatest musical forces in Connecticut for this epic piece of music- this is going to be the concert of the year.”

Verdi’s Requiem
featuring the
Hartford Symphony Orchestra
The Hartt School Choruses
Hartford & New Haven Chorales
The Cathedral Choir

With soloists:

Amanda Hall, Soprano
Lucille Beer, Mezzo-Soprano
Raffaele Sepe, Tenor
Ryan Green, Bass

HARTFORD, January 17, 2012 – Back by popular demand, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra will present a brand-new Cirque de la Symphonie show on Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. in Mortensen Hall in The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. Led by HSO Music Director Carolyn Kuan, this exhilarating concert will feature acrobats, jugglers, strongmen, and more performing with some of the most popular classical music of all time, including Bizet’s Carmen Suite, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, and more.

HSO President and CEO Andrea Stalf says, “Designed to bring the magic of cirque to the music hall, Cirque de la Symphonie fuses the art of cirque performance with the classic sounds of a live symphony orchestra.”

The performers of Cirque de la Symphonie are some of the most accomplished veterans of exceptional cirque programs from across the globe. They include world record holders, gold-medal winners of international competitions, Olympians and some of the most original talent ever seen, including acrobats Aloysia Gavre, Alexander Streltsov, and Christine Van Loo; strongmen “Jarek & Darek;” juggler and magician Vladmir Tsarkov; and contortionist Elena Tsarkova.

CALENDAR LISTING:
HSO POPS! SERIES: CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE
Hartford Symphony Orchestra with Carolyn Kuan, music director & conductor; Cirque de la Symphonie, guest performers
Saturday, February 18, 2012 │ 8:00 p.m.
Mortensen Hall │ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Program: Excerpts from Georges Bizet: Carmen Suite; Dmitri Shostakovich: Festive Overture, Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre and Samson and Dalila; Bedrich Smetana: The Bartered Bride; Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty; Johann Sebastian Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, and more.
Ticket Information: Tickets range in price from $20-$67.50. Student and children tickets are $10. $25 tickets are available for patrons age 40 and under.  To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860) 244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.

Cirque de la Symphonie is presented by Prudential Retirement. The HSO 2011-12 POPS! Series is presented by United Technologies Corporation. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season is sponsored by Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism.

The program will open with the Prelude to Wagner’s opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersinger of Nuremberg), which tells the story of a song contest set in the 16th century town of Nürnberg.  Wagner captures this timeless tale of chivalry and romance in his Prelude through enchanting melodies and expansive brass chorales. Next, award-winning violist Gilad Karni will join the HSO for the North American premiere of Borisovsky’s arrangement of Prokofiev’s beloved ballet, Romeo and Juliet, for solo viola and orchestra. This arrangement highlights six scenes from the ballet – Introduction, The Street Wakens, The Young Juliet, Dance of the Knights, Balcony Scene, and Mercutio – and utilizes the rich, powerful sound of the viola to express the romance and tragedy of this classic love story. The second half of the concert will feature Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Known for its famous opening gesture, this symphony captivates the listener from beginning to end as it travels from the dark, oppressive opening movement through to the uplifting, energizing finale.

Recognized as one of the most exciting young conductors of his generation, Alexander Mickelthwate is the Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Praised for his “splendid, richly idiomatic readings” (LA Weekly), “fearless” approach and “first-rate technique” (Los Angeles Times), the German-born conductor has led the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Nashville, New Jersey, Oregon, Toronto, San Antonio, New York, and Brooklyn among  others.

Violist Gilad Karni played the world premiere of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet arranged for viola and orchestra in May 2009 with the Berlin Symphony; he played the South American premiere with the Bogota Philharmonic later that year. Karni was the First Prize winner of the 1994 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and Third Prize at the ARD Munich and has in the Kaposvar Dubrovnik Festival, Bastad and Lapland Festivals, Festival PRO Davos, and Music Festival Kuhmo, as well as the Aspen, Newport, and Bellingham Festivals.

CALENDAR LISTING:
HSO MASTERWORKS SERIES: BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH
with Alexander Mickelthwate, guest conductor; Gilad Karni, viola
Thursday February 9, 2012 │ 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 10, 2012 │ 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 11, 2012 │ 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 12, 2012 │ 3:00 p.m.
Belding Theater │ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Program: Ludwig Van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor; Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet for Viola and Orchestra; Richard Wagner: Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Ticket Information: Tickets range in price from $35.50-$70.50. Student tickets are $10. On Saturday, February 11, $25 tickets are available for patrons age 40 and under. To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860) 244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.

These concerts are presented in part by the Alexander Campbell McNally Memorial Fund.  The 2011-2012 Masterworks Series is presented by MetLife Foundation and The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, with additional concert support from Artio Global Investors and Hartford Hospital. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season is sponsored by Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism.

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January 5 – 8, 2012
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra presents Brahms and “beatboxing: Baltimore-based beatboxer Shodekeh will perform in the concerto Fujiko’s Fairy Tale by Finnish composer Jan Mikael Vainio. In an interview on “mic(ism)” Shodekeh said that he got into beatboxing “because it was really popular in the ’80s, you know, around the era of Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie and the other first tier of pioneers.” There will be an online vote to choose the opening piece on this program, and the first symphony by Brahms will round out the evening.

February 9 – 12, 2012
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony: Ta-Ta-Ta. TaaaaaH!…Ta-Ta-Ta. TaaaaaH! That’s right — it’s the most iconic opening in the symphonic repertoire. But this symphony transcends its familiarity as it progresses systematically from darkness into light. It is also filled with challenges for conductor and ensemble. The program will also include an arrangement of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet for viola and orchestra performed by violist Gilad Karni, and the overture to Die Meistersinger by Wagner.

March 8 – 11, 2012
Violinist Sirena Huang: She has performed brilliantly with the HSO over the past three seasons, and Hartford has heard her develop from a prodigy into a young artist. She is now the HSO’s first Artist in Residence and will perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. The Shostakovich Symphony No. 9 will close the program.

April 12 – 13, 2012
Guest conductor Gerard Schwarz leads the HSO in a program featuring the Symphony No. 2 by Sibelius and the Dvorak Cello Concerto with his 19-year-old son Julian as soloist. Schwarz was the music director and conductor that put the Seattle Symphony Orchestra on the map and it will be a treat to hear him conduct in Hartford.

May 10-13, 2012
Pathétique: Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 was premiered in a performance conducted by Tchaikovsky himself nine days before he died. The work was described as “the essence of late romanticism” by Leonard Bernstein. The program will also include the tasty “Essay no. 2″ by Samuel Barber, and Pianist Teo Gheorghiu will join the orchestra for Mozart’s piano concerto in D minor.

HARTFORD, December 16, 2011 – To celebrate the New Year, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra will take a look back and a step forward at Brahms & Beatboxing on Thursday, January 5 – Sunday, January 8, 2012 at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. Led by Music Director Carolyn Kuan, the HSO will couple Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 – a masterpiece from the Romantic Era – with composer Jan Mikael Vainio’s Fujiko’s Fairy Tale, a modern concerto for beatboxer and orchestra featuring the virtuosic talents of Shodekeh.  The program also will include Johann Strauss’s New Year’s Day tradition, Overture to Die Fledermaus.

Music Director Carolyn Kuan says, “Orchestral music has such a rich history, yet is evolving constantly as musical tastes grow and develop. On this New Year’s program it seemed like the perfect opportunity for us to look back at one of the great masterworks- Brahms’ First Symphony- and to explore some of the newer music and art forms that exist today. We are thrilled to have Shodekeh share his virtuosic beatboxing talents with us for a unique concerto, Fujiko’s Fairy Tale for Beatboxer and Orchestra.”

In 1853, a young Johannes Brahms was pressured by his contemporaries to continue the German musical legacy that had been laid down by Bach and Beethoven.  Overwhelmed by Beethoven’s recent success with his Ninth Symphony, it took Brahms more than 15 years to complete his first symphony, but it was worth the wait. Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 is a work of supreme compositional technique, profound emotion, and breath-taking melodies and harmony. Although Brahms references Beethoven’s style, it is clear that he evolved music to the next stage, making it a fitting work to pair with Jan Mikael Vainio’s integration of beatboxing and orchestral music, Fujiko’s Fairy Tale. Vainio says, “Fujiko’s Fairy Tale is a voyage through [Japanese] mythology…in which magical super beings rule the reality. In the music, one can hear oriental influences combined with hip-hop, dance beats, traditional contemporary concert music and a hint of soundscapes from videogames of the 1980’s and 1990’s.” The concerto was premiered in February 2010 in Finland; the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra played the American premiere in July 2010.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Shodekeh will be the featured soloist for Fujiko’s Fairy Tale. He is a professional beatboxer and vocal percussionist in a number of artistic fields for dance, music and the visual arts. Using his voice as his primary instrument, he vocalizes everything from drum sets, turntables, ocean waves, to sleigh bells. He currently serves as faculty and musical accompanist for Towson University’s dance department and The American Dance Festival at Duke University.  Past awards and recognition include a residency with The Johns Hopkins Modern Dance Company, an Artist Studio Residency at the Creative Alliance at The Patterson, grants and commissions for the U.S. Embassy of Lithuania’s Month of American Culture Program, and placement on the Maryland State Arts Council Touring Artist Roster Program.

CALENDAR LISTING:
HSO MASTERWORKS SERIES: BRAHMS & BEATBOXING
with Carolyn Kuan, Music Director & conductor; Shodekeh, beatboxer
Thursday, January 5, 2012 │ 7:30 p.m.
Friday, January 6, 2012 │ 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 7, 2012 │ 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 8, 2012 │ 3:00 p.m.
Belding Theater │ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Program: Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor; Jan Mikael Vainio: Fujiko’s Fairy Tale for Beatboxer and String Orchestra; Johann Strauss, Jr.: Overture to Die Fledermaus
Ticket Information: Tickets range in price from $35.50-$70.50. Student tickets are $10. On Saturday, January 7, $25 tickets are available for patrons age 40 and under. To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860) 244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.

The Brahms & Beatboxing concerts are sponsored by Artio Global Investors. The 2011-12 Masterworks Series is presented by MetLife Foundation and The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, with additional concert support from Hartford Hospital. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season is sponsored by Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism.

The quintet performance will take place between the HSO’s two Holiday POPS! Spectacular performances (3pm and 8pm) at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday.  Led by HSO Music Director Carolyn Kuan, the Holiday POPS! Spectacular will  feature holiday music from around the world.  Audiences will be able to join in the festivities for a Holiday Sing-a-Long and a visit from Santa Claus, along with a performance of “’Twas The Night Before Christmas” by Yale School of Music faculty member Richard Cross.  Other guest performers will include “The Klezmen,” one of Hartford’s most popular Klezmer bands and the 60+ enchanting voices of Connecticut Children’s Chorus, led by Artistic Director (and Simsbury High School choir director) Stuart Younse. To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860) 244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.

The HSO 2011-12 POPS! Series is presented by United Technologies Corporation, with additional concert support from Prudential Retirement. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season is sponsored by Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism.

HARTFORD, CT- November 28, 2011– The Hartford Symphony Orchestra announces the launch of CityMusic, its brand new after-school music program at the Latino Studies Academy at Burns, a public K-8 school in the Frog Hollow neighborhood of Hartford. Created in collaboration with Hartford Public Schools, the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence and Billings Forge Community Works, CityMusic engages students through the transformative power of music, helping them to build a new school culture based on achievement and teamwork and teaching them to become ambassadors of social change in their community.

HSO Music Director Carolyn Kuan says, “When I came on as music director of the HSO, I knew that I wanted to start an El Sistema program in Hartford. I have seen what programs like CityMusic have done for children across the US; music gives them a sense of purpose, achievement, and responsibility. I have visited the Latino Studies Academy at Burns several times now and have seen the look on the students’ faces when we play and talk about music with them…this is going to be something special.”

Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto says, “I am thankful to the outstanding partners who work with the Hartford Public Schools to enrich our curriculum so that students grow through rich music and art offerings.”

CityMusic’s core mission is inspired by “El Sistema,” a Venezuelan community music and youth orchestra program that began in the late 1970’s and now teaches music to 300,000 of Venezuela’s poorest children, demonstrating the power of music to dramatically change the life trajectory of hundreds of thousands of a nation’s youth while transforming the communities around them. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra is taking the lead in bringing El Sistema’s principles to Hartford and joins several other cities on the East Coast that are in the process of creating or have already implemented similar El Sistema-inspired programs, including the “Take a Stand” program in Boston and “OrchKids” in Baltimore.

In this first year, CityMusic is primarily an after-school music program held four days a week at Burns Academy. The after-school program currently serves 50-75 students and is taught by the HSO’s newly hired teaching artists, who bring expertise in urban and non-traditional music education to CityMusic. Students participate in choir, bucket drum band, “paper” orchestra, and string orchestra, performing Latino, American, and European music- all while acquiring skills in listening, reading, memory, playing/singing, composition, and expression.  It is CityMusic’s ambition to expand the program over the course of 5-10 years to the older students at Burns Academy and eventually throughout the Hartford Public School District, becoming an integral part of Hartford school culture.

To enhance the after-school program, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra will bring music into the classroom throughout the school year: the HSO will perform “Symphony in the Schools” concerts at school-wide assemblies; students will attend field trips to the HSO’s Lincoln Financial Discovery Concerts at The Bushnell; third, fourth, and fifth graders will participate in the HSO’s new “Link Up” program, where they will perform in an interactive concert with the HSO at The Bushnell in May; students and families will be given the opportunity to attend certain HSO Masterworks and POPS! Series concerts free of charge; and students will participate in workshops and performances with HSO musicians, HSO guest artists, and local Latino musicians.

“CityMusic is based on the philosophy that musical skill and knowledge is transformative for children and that involved study imparts broader skills like self discipline and confidence”, says HSO President and CEO Andrea Stalf.  “Piloting this program in collaboration with Hartford Public Schools provides a perfect opportunity for us to reach capable children and make an impact on our community.”

An essential supplement to the music curriculum is the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence’s “Peace is Possible” curriculum, which was created to help CityMusic students work together in a peaceful, cooperative musical ensemble and to apply methods of nonviolence to their everyday lives.  The “Peace is Possible” curriculum includes: songs of peace and freedom movements from the USA and Latin America; conversations, drawings, role playing exercises, and songs inspired about peace; craft activities about peace, emotions, conflict, violence, and nonviolence; and study of successful nonviolence campaigns by such Latino leaders as Cesar Chavez, Roberto Clemente, as well as prominent American Civil Rights leaders. Additionally, the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence is providing an overview of the nonviolence training as a professional development workshop for the classroom teachers at Burns Academy. Hartford Performs, an arts education collaborative through Hartford Public Schools, assists in the “Peace is Possible” curriculum by providing arts activities through which students will learn methods of nonviolence.

The final component of CityMusic is a creative nutrition curriculum that teaches students to respect their bodies and as a result grow as artists. Every day after-school CityMusic students will receive healthy, nutritious snacks from The Kitchen at Billings Forge, a farm-to-table catering business, cafe, and job training location for residents of Frog Hollow, to reinforce the importance of physical health and nutrition.

Hartford Public Schools’ “Compass” program, the existing after-school program at Burns Academy, provides transportation, registration, dinner, and administrative support for CityMusic.

Funding for CityMusic is made possible through generous support from the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and Hartford Public Schools, as well as its partner organizations, the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence , Billings Forge Community Works, and Hartford Performs. To find out how you can support CityMusic, please contact HSO Associate Director of Development Tracy Wu Fastenburg at (860)246-8742 ext. 302 or at twu@hartfordsymphony.org.