Upward Hartford hosts HSO Intermix concert
Upward Hartford is proud of its recent renovations. It has more space now. So it’s hosting an avalanche.
On Nov. 8, an ensemble of musicians from Hartford Symphony Orchestra will perform Missy Mazzoli’s 2008 composition “Still Life With Avalanche,” live in the mezzanine area of Upward Hartford, the membership-based “shared workspace” at 20 Church St.
It’s the first show in the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 2018 intimate Intermix series, which holds small concerts away from its home base, The Bushnell. The shows often offer more modern and experimental pieces, spotlight offbeat locations, bring in audiences that wouldn’t usually attend classical music concerts and highlight performers who may get overlooked at the full-force 86-member HSO MasterWorks concerts.
The series, which advertises itself as “intimate, inviting, innovative, and interactive,” seems like a natural fit for Upward Hartford, which promotes collaborative work, networking opportunities and new workspace models.
The HSO ensemble will also play Aaron Copland’s famous “Appalachian Spring Suite” while an equally famous dance created by choreographer Martha Graham for the suite plays on a wall of video monitors at Upward Hartford. The “Appalachian Avalanche” concert also includes a bassoon quartet by Bernard Garfield and a tribute to Hartt School professor of composition and music theory David McBride, who died last month at the age of 66.
Jess Morin, Upward Hartford’s marketing manager, says “the symphony had reached out in terms of looking for a performance space, and it seemed like a perfect partnership for us. It’s all about connections.”
“In September of last year, we unveiled our new mezzanine space,” which can seat 150 people on folding chairs, Morin says. “That’s where the concert will be. It’s mostly used for co-working.”
A concert on this scale is a new development for Upward Hartford, but the organization has hosted music and dance performances and networking and corporate events. It has an art gallery and