Work and recording begins on a set of commissioned miniatures to express what the year 2020 has meant.

(Sponsored by the Hartt School Chamber Department)

“The Hartt School, founded in 1920, was set to celebrate its centennial year with a series of special events put on by all departments: Music, Dance, Theater, Jazz. Unfortunately, the year 2020 happened.

Now, we propose to examine the human condition with all its flaws and beauty, but in the virtual realm, with a series of live and pre-recorded streams in late Spring 2021. We will invite guest speakers and poets, activists, visual artists, and special guest performers. Hartt faculty members Anton Miller, violin and Rita Porfiris, viola (the Miller-Porfiris Duo) will be joined by violinist Ertan Torgul (SOLI Ensemble) and cellist Jennifer Kloetzel (Cypress Quartet) to perform existing works by Beethoven, George Walker, Clarence Cameron White, Florence Price and Daniel Bernard Roumain, combined and interwoven with these miniature commissioned works to form a narrative about the trials and triumphs of the human spirit.”

Includes commissioned music by Robert Carl, Aaron Clay, Sarah Gibson, Jiaxin Zhang, Nathan Scalise, Alexandra Gardner, Errollyn Wallen, Ethan Wickman,  Jonah Sirota, Elena Ruehr, Juhi Bansal, Ken Steen and Gilda Lyons.