- Simsbury Announces Construction of Regional Performing Arts Center - Hartford Symphony Opens Second Season of the Free "Musical Dialogues" Afternoon Series - Hartford Symphony Kicks Off United Technologies Rush Hour Classics NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 29, 2004 Contact: Bonnie Christopher First Selectman’s Office Town of Simsbury 860-658-3230 Click here to preview architectual renderings. (3MB) TOWN OF SIMSBURY ANNOUNCES CONSTRUCTION OF $1.5 MILLION REGIONAL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Simsbury, CT -- Local and state representatives today announced plans to begin construction of The Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows. This $1.5 million regional performing arts center will serve as the summer home for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and its Talcott Mountain Music Festival, host a small number of additional special performances, and serve as an educational/community resource for the region. The project is being funded by State grants and private donations. “Due to the tremendous generosity of many donors, we are pleased to begin construction today on The Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows. This performance venue will build on the success of the Talcott Mountain Music Festival and add greatly to the cultural fabric of our community,” said Simsbury First Selectman Tom Vincent. “The groundbreaking for the new Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows is an exciting development for all of us at the Hartford Symphony Orchestra,” said HSO Executive Director Charles Owens. “This beautiful new venue will open just in time for the Tenth Anniversary of our Talcott Mountain Music Festival in 2005, and we are eager to begin planning for a summer celebration that is bigger and better than ever. We are also grateful to the State of Connecticut, the Town of Simsbury and the many private funders who have made this long-awaited dream a reality.” State Senator Tom Herlihy also expressed his gratitude to the State and the center’s private supporters and spoke of the importance the facility holds for the entire region. “While The Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows is located in the town of Simsbury, it will serve as an important cultural resource for all of Greater Hartford. Last summer, more than 20,000 people attended the Talcott Mountain Music Festival and we believe this new, permanent facility will be the cornerstone of additional growth for this festival and for other special events,” said Herlihy. State Representative Rob Heagney, also instrumental in bringing this project to the region, spoke of the educational benefits that area children will receive. “This facility will not only serve as a center for music events, it will also serve as a place where our school children can develop a life-long love of the arts; and, in the future, can serve as a regional educational resource.” In addition to a $500,000 State grant, The Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows is being funded in part by generous donations from: an anonymous donor, The Hartford; Classic Hotels of Connecticut; The Simsbury/Granby Rotary Club; the Ensign-Bickford Foundation; Simsbury Bank; The Mitchell Family; Farmington Savings Bank; Bernard J. Zahren; Simscroft-Echo Farms, Inc.; and others. The Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows will be located off of Ironhorse Boulevard next to Rotary Park (adjacent to the Boundless Playground) in Simsbury, Connecticut. The Performing Arts Center will have a mixture of seating types, ranging from intimate table seating close to the stage to lawn seating accommodating up to 10,000 fans. The Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows was designed by Schoenhardt Architects of Simsbury and will be built by CASLE Corporation of Avon, Connecticut. Funds for the project are still being sought and the public grassroots fundraising campaign will begin shortly. Anyone interested in making a donation to support this project should contact 860-658-3230 or visit www.PerformingArtsatSimsburyMeadows.com. ### HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 8, 2004 CONTACT: Johannes Neuer, Audience Development / PR Mgr. Office (860) 246-8742, ext. 302 / Cell (860) 995-5336 jneuer@hartfordsymphony.org HARTFORD SYMPHONY OPENS SECOND SEASON OF THE FREE “MUSICAL DIALOGUES” AFTERNOON SERIES HARTFORD, Conn. – The Hartford Symphony Orchestra begins its second season of “Musical Dialogues” hosted by HSO Music Director Edward Cumming on Sunday, October 31, 2004 at 3:00 p.m. at Faith Congregational Church, 2030 Main Street, Hartford. Maestro Cumming will be joined by composer Valerie Coleman and 2004 Sphinx Competition winner violist Kaila Potts. A reception with the artists follows the musical presentations and conversations. Refreshments will be provided with entertainment by the Josh Edwards Trio. Admission is free. Reservations are required. Call Sharon Steinle (860) 246-8742, ext. 306 for details and reservations. Sponsored by ST PAUL TRAVELERS. Composer Valerie Coleman is a distinct new voice in American music. Her style reflects the soul of urban culture, her African American heritage, and a strong dedication of creating music for all audiences. Coleman is the resident composer and founder of “Imani Winds”. Her works are heard regularly throughout the country with her ensemble and via radio on NPR’s “Performance Today”, and MPR’s “Saint Paul’s Sunday”. The HSO commissioned Ms. Coleman to compose a new work called “The Painted Lady”, for Soprano and Orchestra, which comprises two songs, “The Painted Lady” and “Through the Caribbean Sea”, both with texts by African American poet Margaret Danner. The work will be premiered by the HSO at its sixth annual Martin Luther King Concert on January 16, 2005 at The First Cathedral in Bloomfield. Violist Kaila Potts is the First Place Senior Division Laureate of the 7th national Sphinx Competition 2004. Ms. Potts has appeared with the Atlanta, New Jersey and Cincinnati symphonies and also won the first prize in numerous competitions, including the 2003 Geraldine B. Gee International Viola Competition, the Ennio Bolonini Scholarship Competition, as well as third prize in the Clara Baur Instrumental Competition. Currently, Ms. Potts is an Orchestral Fellowship Recipient with the Aspen Music Festival. At 23, she already has begun her career as an orchestral musician and serves as co-principal violist with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. “Musical Dialogues” is the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s new audience development initiative promoting awareness of classical music among the members of the African American and Latino communities throughout Greater Hartford. Staged in an intimate setting, the performances feature an array of diverse musicians followed by a conversation with the artists led by HSO Music Director Edward Cumming. ### TOP HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 7, 2004 CONTACT: Johannes Neuer, Audience Development/PR Mgr. Office (860) 246-8742, ext. 302 jneuer@hartfordsymphony.org Hartford Symphony Kicks Off United Technologies Rush Hour Classics With ‘Barkley The Dog’ In Portrait Of Charles Ives HARTFORD, Conn. – The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director and host Edward Cumming, opens the 2004-2005 United Technologies Rush Hour Classics Series with “The Unanswered Question: A Portrait of Charles Ives in Words and Music” on Thursday, November 4, 2004 at 6:30 p.m. in the Belding Theater at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. This intriguing portrait, written by Harry Clark, Artistic Director, Chamber Music PLUS, featuring R. Bruce Connelly as Charles Ives, explores Ives’ role in redefining American music in the 20th century. The Rush Hour Classics series is sponsored by United Technologies Corporation. The performance will be repeated on the new Friday Matinee Series on Friday, November 12, 2004 at 11:00 a.m. in the Hoffman Auditorium at Saint Joseph College, West Hartford. R. Bruce Connelly has been a professional actor for forty years. Most recently he has played the title roles of “The Man Who Came to Dinner”, “Scapino!”, “Uncle Vanya” and “The Music Man” in regional theaters. New York audiences have seen him in “Hamlet”, “The Witch”, “Everyman”, “The Woman Who Fell From the Sky” and as Jesus in “Godspell” (for which he was honored as Best Supporting Actor by the Council of Stock Theatres). In the past year, he has played Felix Unger in a new adaptation of “The Odd Couple”, Brian in “The Irish… and How They Got That Way”, and seven roles (including the title role) in “The Matchmaker” by John B. Keane at the Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury. At the River Rep in Ivoryton, Conn., Bruce played Max Prince in “Laughter on the 23rd Floor”, Owen Turner in “Light Up the Sky” and the Rev. Crisparkle in “Drood”. In Hilton Head, S.C., he was seen as Ivan in “Art” and Andrew Wyke in “Sleuth”. Other roles in Connecticut include Greg in “Sylvia”, Feste in “Twelfth Night”, William Featherstone in “How the Other Half Loves” and half the town in “Greater Tuna” at the Centennial Theater. Since 1993, he has played Barkley, Jim Henson’s Muppet dog on “Sesame Street”, for which he has been honored nine times by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at the Daytime Emmy Awards. Tickets to the United Technologies Rush Hour Classics are $34 and $42; $20 for the Friday Matinee performance; $7 for college students with a valid I.D. and children 18 and under. Tickets are available through HSO Ticket Services at (860) 244-2999, Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and online anytime at www.hartfordsymphony.org. Tickets to the United Technologies Rush Hour Classics performance also may be purchased at The Bushnell Box Office in person at 166 Capitol Ave. in Hartford, or by phone at (860) 987-5900. The Bushnell Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more; for details call (860) 244-2999. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra participates in the Greater Hartford Arts Council's Let*s GO! program that offers 2-for-1 tickets to arts and entertainment events and discounts at restaurants and clubs. EDITORS: Please check and update calendar listings to reflect complete and correct performance schedule and ticket prices. (See information above.) To request an INTERVIEW with R. Bruce Connelly, Harry Clark or HSO Music Director Edward Cumming contact Johannes Neuer at 860-246-8742, ext. 302. Interviews will be arranged on a first-come, first-served basis. PHOTOS are available for download in high-resolution digital format. Please visit www.hartfordsymphony.org and click on Media Photos or email Johannes Neuer, jneuer@hartfordsymphony.org. TOP