To open the 2024 season on October 10, 2024, the Garmany Music Series is honored to present mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, one of the most beloved and acclaimed vocal artists of our time. In collaboration with her longtime pianist Laura Ward, Graves will present a personally curated evening of American music, including songs and spirituals.
On November 21, 2024, the imaginative and crowd-pleasing Hub New Music (flute, clarinet, violin, cello) will present a wide-ranging program featuring guest artist Kojiro Umezaki of the Silk Road Ensemble. In addition to being an award-winning composer, Umezaki is regarded as one of the world’s leading performers on the shakuhachi (bamboo flute). The concert will also include the premiere of a Garmany-commissioned work by Hartt’s recently-retired faculty colleague, Robert Carl.
On Feb 6, 2025, the series will welcome the Verona String Quartet with saxophonist Steven Banks. Banks, who has quickly come to be regarded as one of the foremost saxophone soloists in the world, is a former Jackie McLean Fellow and Hartt adjunct faculty member. In addition to music by Debussy, Mozart and others, the program will feature the world premiere of a major new piece for saxophone and string quartet by the distinguished American composer Christopher Theofanidis. Theofanidis, a Grammy nominee and winner of the Rome Prize, teaches at the Yale School of Music.
Rounding out the series on April 10, 2025, Sandbox Percussion, a four-person ensemble, will perform Seven Pillars, a Grammy-nominated large-scale mixed media work for a large roster of instruments, augmented by theatrical lighting designed for this performance, composed by the celebrated American composer Andy Akiho.
All performances are set for 7:30 p.m. and held in Millard Auditorium.
Tickets for each concert are $25 for the general public. Admission is free for University of Hartford students, faculty, and staff. Purchase tickets or register for individual shows here, or call the box office at 860.768.4228. (UHart community member discounts will activate on the online registration form after entering your email and other information.)
Steve Metcalf has again stepped into the role of curator for the current series and is joined by Hartt faculty member Gilda Lyons, who is the executive director.
Since its founding in 2009, The Garmany Chamber Music Series has established itself as one of The Hartt School's signature activities. The series is recognized as one of Connecticut's premier live music attractions, presenting four concerts annually, and is dedicated to bringing the widest possible range of distinguished small ensembles and recitalists to the UHart campus. The series is generously supported by the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
The series has routinely played to capacity houses in Millard, and has attracted national attention for the quality and diversity of its offerings. One critic hailed the series as a "who's who of American chamber music."
For more information, visit hartford.edu/garmany or call: 860.768.4228 (box office).