FOOT IN THE DOOR ENSEMBLE
"A Foot in the Door" is the title of the autobiography of Alfred C. Fuller (1885-1973), who gained worldwide fame as the founder of the Fuller Brush Company. He established the company in Hartford, Connecticut in the early days of the 20th century, and actively presided over it for more than 50 years. Mr. Fuller was also a champion of the arts, and for many years he, along with his wife Mary Primrose Fuller, was the principal benefactor of The Hartt School. "A Foot in the Door" is the figure of speech used to describe the technique whereby door-to-door salesmen (for many years the only way Fuller brushes were sold) would win a few minutes to pitch the virtues of their products. Likewise, we have chosen this as the name for our contemporary music ensemble, reflecting the pluck, ingenuity and perseverance that our students bring to the task of promulgating new music -- of all genres and types -- to the wider world.
HARTT WIND ENSEMBLE/SYMPHONY BAND
The Hartt Wind Ensemble is nationally recognized as one of the premier collegiate wind ensembles in the United States. In 2010 the ensemble made its Carnegie Hall debut in Stern Auditorium, performing the world premiere of Dragon Rhyme by Chen Yi. The Hartt Wind Ensemble has performed at national conferences of the College Band Directors National Association in Ann Arbor, Michigan (2007); Seattle, Washington (2011); and Tempe, Arizona (2019). It has also performed four times at Eastern Division CBDNA regional conferences. The Hartt Wind Ensemble has recorded four compact discs for the NAXOS label: Passaggi, Dragon Rhyme, Raw Earth and Heavy Weather. Gramophone Magazinedescribed The Hartt Wind Ensemble as “stellar” and “in the top league of American student groups, their performances having professionalism written all over them.” A leader in commissioning new music, the ensemble has premiered over forty works in the past twenty years and has hosted over eighty prominent guest performers and conductors.