Passing the Baton: Garmany Concert Series Has New Leadership

"When I say nobody had heard of them, I mean nobody had heard of them," Metcalf says. "They were just one of the hundreds of young quartets trying to rise up the ladder of success. So they arrive, and the students instantly like them. But then a really interesting thing happened. Within a few years, suddenly these guys weren't just some little local phenomenon. Suddenly they won a Grammy award, and soon after that a long term recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon, classical music's most prestigious label. They're becoming more and more famous, more celebrated, more accolades, playing all over the world."

Yet their residency at Hartt continued, eventually lasting more than two decades. "They could have easily pulled the plug on it and said, 'We're done with this little residency.' But they stayed, they kept their commitment to us, and they were always very accessible to the students."

Metcalf, whose long association with The Hartt School includes stints as assistant dean and director of instrumental studies, thought back to that residency when he created the Garmany Concert Series in 2009. Metcalf recalls the initial discussions: "Maybe instead of just string quartet or string music, it could be a more all-encompassing kind of series which would feature contemporary music, brass music, percussion-as wide a range as we could think of."

Now in its 17th season, the Richard P. Garmany Concert Series has established itself as one of The Hartt School's signature activities, attracting national attention for the quality and diversity of its offerings. Metcalf served as the series' curator until 2016 when he turned the reins over to Larry Alan Smith. Metcalf returned in 2021, helping to shepherd the series through the height of the pandemic, with Gilda Lyons, Hartt's chair of composition, serving as executive director.

This year, Metcalf has moved into the supporting role of artistic advisor, while Lyons has stepped into the lead role of artistic director. "I'm particularly grateful to Steve for his continued partnership," Lyons said. "I've felt more than lucky to have worked so closely with him, and we all owe him a terrific debt for his work to make this series possible."

Metcalf and Lyons are quick to acknowledge the support of the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, and of fund advisor David Polk, Garmany's close friend and executor. "David is very affable, good-hearted, and tremendously interested in the welfare of the Greater Hartford community," Metcalf says. "He has been drawn in by what we've done, and I know he feels very proud of the place that the Garmany series has in the cultural life of this community."

Part of what makes the series unique is that it brings artists into close contact with audiences-especially Hartt students. "Garmany residencies include student-engagement sessions, coachings, and presentations," Lyons says, "[which] means that this work on stage is fueled by-and is offering fuel to-the next generation of extraordinary artists."

Metcalf says Lyons is the ideal person to take the Garmany Concert Series into the future. "She's a composer herself. She is a performer. She is a very eminent presence within the new music world. And she is just a lovely, smart, interesting, creative person who I think will broaden things in ways that I can't even imagine."

The next concert in the Richard P. Garmany Concert Series will be held February 19. For more information and to reserve tickets, click below.