Faculty and Friends Concert to honor composer Walter Hartley

November 2, 2015
Categories: General News Tags: Arts and Culture, College of Arts + Architecture

The Department of Music Faculty and Friends Concert Series will honor composer Walter Hartley on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Hartley, whose daughter Carol Hartley is a business services coordinator in the Department of Languages and Culture Studies, has composed nearly 300 works and is most revered for his music for saxophones, brass instruments and wind ensembles. The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. in Rowe Recital Hall.

Hartley grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Howard Hanson, receiving a Ph.D. in 1953. He taught for more than two decades at State University of New York College at Fredonia. In 2004, he and his wife Sandra moved to Charlotte, where they continue to live.

A member of the American Society for Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Hartley received an annual award from the organization for achievement in serious music since 1962. His music has been performed by many ensembles, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma City Symphony, Eastman-Rochester Orchestra and the Eastman Wind Ensemble. His “Chamber Symphony of 1954” was commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation; his “Concert Overture” for orchestra received a prize from the National Symphony Orchestra in 1955; and his “Sinfonia No. 3” for brass choir won the 1964 Conn Award. Since then, he has received many commissions from college and high school musical organizations. His “Symphony No. 3” was commissioned by the Greater Buffalo (N.Y.) Youth Orchestra; several band works were commissioned by U.S. service bands.

Faculty from the Department of Music will perform Hartley’s “Saxophone Duo” (1964); “Three Duets for Violin and Viola” (1959); “String Trio for Violin, Viola, Cello” (1953); “Chamber Suite for 11 Players” (2005); and the song “Shall I Compare Thee” (1983).

Tickets are $18 for general audience, $12 for UNC Charlotte faculty and staff, $10 for seniors and $8 for all students and can be purchased online or at the Robinson Hall Box Office.