Hartt Alum and Choral/Orchestral Group Wow the Judges on America's Got Talent

Hartt School alumnus and adjunct faculty member Colin Britt '07 and his 3 Penny Chorus and Orchestra brought their choral and orchestral version of Carly Rae Jepsen's pop hit, Call Me Maybe, to the popular NBC TV show America’s Got Talent, and impressed all four judges.

In Tuesday night’s (June 4) season premiere of America’s Got Talent, the judges unanimously voted to send the group to the next phase of competition, which will take place in Las Vegas.

See the group’s America’s Got Talent performance.

3 Penny Chorus and Orchestra is an all-volunteer group led by Britt and Yale graduate Arianne Abela. Last fall, they created a YouTube sensation with a choral and orchestral version of Call Me Maybe that was arranged and orchestrated by Britt. In September, the group performed their version of Call Me Maybe live on The Today Show.

Britt received a bachelor’s degree in composition from the University of Hartford's Hartt School in 2007, went on to earn a master’s degree from Yale, and will be a doctoral candidate at Rutgers University beginning this fall. Also performing in the 3 Penny Chorus and Orchestra is Britt’s new bride, Victoria Thornsbury Britt '09, a soprano who also is a Hartt alumna (voice performance and music education).

Other members of the ensemble with Hartt School connections include: Tucker Barney '13 (trumpet performance), trumpet; Danielle Heller '07 (horn performance), French horn; Doug Perry (Community Division student), percussion; Sarah Reed MM '10 (voice performance), soprano; Peter Scuderi '12 (clarinet performance and music education), clarinet; and Jakob Voychick '07 (trombone performance and music education), trombone.

See the Facebook page for 3 Penny Chorus and Orchestra.