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About Us
A Brief History of the Hartford Conservatory
The Hartford Conservatory, oldest such school in Central Connecticut and one of the oldest in the country, was begun in 1890 as the music department of the Hartford Theological Seminary, and christened the School for Church Musicians. After five years of being the musical arm of the seminary, it became the independent Hartford School of Music, as it is still legally named. In 1959 the school would become known as The Hartford Conservatory.
Mrs. Archibald Welch was the first president of the school, and largely responsible for its early development and growth. It was incorporated as a non-profit institution in 1908. After three moves within Hartford, in 1926 it found a permanent home in a Victorian mansion on Asylum Avenue. In 1961 through the generosity of the Goodwin family, the residence next door was added to the campus. Today the two buildings are named Welch House and Goodwin House in honor of those two families who played such an important role in the history of the school.
Truda Kaschmann introduced modern dance into the curriculum in 1934, making the Conservatory the first school in the United States to take this step. Under her guidance and direction, the dance program expanded to include ballet and jazz, and later on, tap and world dance. In recent years the Conservatory dance program has been judged one of the top twenty-five in the country.
In 1948 the federal government certified the school as a non-degree-granting institution, and it soon became an eligible school for post-secondary school students seeking federal student aid. The post-secondary, or Diploma Division of the school is unique in its structure and student body. Like a traditional European conservatory it features an intensive education in the arts, allowing a rare immersion in the study of music, dance and theatre. Its students represent ages from teens to middle age, and a wide variety of backgrounds and geographical regions of the country.
Among illustrious artists that have been connected with the Conservatory in various capacities over the years are Betty Allen, opera star and former director of Harlem School of the Arts, Walter Ashaffenburg, composer and theorist, James Argiro, jazz pianist, choral director Ralph Baldwin, Alyson Bristol, pianist Ward Davenny, tenor Peter Harvey, Grayson Hugh, Jacqueline Jarrett, cellist Charles Krane, Tele Lesbines, Marie Porter, pianist Aaron Pratt, Waldo Selden Pratt, cellist John Riley, Jack Sonni of Dire Straits, soprano Teresa Stich-Randall, Sigismond Stojowski, flautist Eugenia Zuckerman, and dancers Douglas Boulivar, Judy Dworin, Margarita Froman, and Alwin Nikolais.
A Brief History of the Hartford Conservatory
The Hartford Conservatory, oldest such school in Central Connecticut and one of the oldest in the country, was begun in 1890 as the music department of the Hartford Theological Seminary, and christened the School for Church Musicians. After five years of being the musical arm of the seminary, it became the independent Hartford School of Music, as it is still legally named. In 1959 the school would become known as The Hartford Conservatory.
Mrs. Archibald Welch was the first president of the school, and largely responsible for its early development and growth. It was incorporated as a non-profit institution in 1908. After three moves within Hartford, in 1926 it found a permanent home in a Victorian mansion on Asylum Avenue. In 1961 through the generosity of the Goodwin family, the residence next door was added to the campus. Today the two buildings are named Welch House and Goodwin House in honor of those two families who played such an important role in the history of the school.
Truda Kaschmann introduced modern dance into the curriculum in 1934, making the Conservatory the first school in the United States to take this step. Under her guidance and direction, the dance program expanded to include ballet and jazz, and later on, tap and world dance. In recent years the Conservatory dance program has been judged one of the top twenty-five in the country.
In 1948 the federal government certified the school as a non-degree-granting institution, and it soon became an eligible school for post-secondary school students seeking federal student aid. The post-secondary, or Diploma Division of the school is unique in its structure and student body. Like a traditional European conservatory it features an intensive education in the arts, allowing a rare immersion in the study of music, dance and theatre. Its students represent ages from teens to middle age, and a wide variety of backgrounds and geographical regions of the country.
Among illustrious artists that have been connected with the Conservatory in various capacities over the years are Betty Allen, opera star and former director of Harlem School of the Arts, Walter Ashaffenburg, composer and theorist, James Argiro, jazz pianist, choral director Ralph Baldwin, Alyson Bristol, pianist Ward Davenny, tenor Peter Harvey, Grayson Hugh, Jacqueline Jarrett, cellist Charles Krane, Tele Lesbines, Marie Porter, pianist Aaron Pratt, Waldo Selden Pratt, cellist John Riley, Jack Sonni of Dire Straits, soprano Teresa Stich-Randall, Sigismond Stojowski, flautist Eugenia Zuckerman, and dancers Douglas Boulivar, Judy Dworin, Margarita Froman, and Alwin Nikolais.
