The process starts long before Stabilito takes the podium. “You need to form an idea, a sonic image of what’s happening in the music,” he says. “And then the moment you’re with the orchestra, you receive a different image from them, and you start molding that image. You’re a sculptor, working on the stone, creating the piece of art that you’re going to present to the audience.”
In his new role as director of Orchestras and assistant professor of Orchestra Studies and Conducting at The Hartt School, Stabilito’s task is to shape and mold young musicians, honing their musical abilities and teaching them to work cohesively in an ensemble. Naturally, that requires a lot of trust—but Stabilito says he felt mutual respect from his first encounter with the Hartt orchestra. “Immediately there was a connection and a synergy,” he says.
Stabilito comes to Hartt with an impressive pedigree. He began his conducting career in his native Venezuela, with the Caracas Municipal Symphony Orchestra, the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, and the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2022 he became the music director and conductor of the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association (ORCMA) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, leading the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and overseeing the artistic development of the Oak Ridge Chorus and Chamber Music Series. He has also appeared as guest and cover conductor with ensembles such as the Knoxville Symphony, Nashville Symphony, and Washington Philharmonic.
Régulo Stabilito, Director of Orchestras; Assistant Professor of Orchestra Studies and Conducting, The Hartt SchoolWe want to take the orchestra to several communities around Hartford, because I think it's really important for the students to have contact with the real world. Our mission is to serve our communities through music.
Teaching has long been an integral part of Stabilito’s approach, including stints at Appalachian State University and Lee University in Tennessee. He’s led youth orchestras across the Americas and Europe.
He finds special resonance in The Hartt School, one of UHart’s founding colleges. “I think the tradition of The Hartt School is so big,” he says. “In a certain way, The Hartt School is the heart of the University of Hartford.”
And he wants to take those traditions beyond campus. “We want to take the orchestra to several communities around Hartford, because I think it's really important for the students to have contact with the real world. Our mission is to serve our communities through music.”
But that’s just the beginning. “We are talking about the possibilities of taking the orchestra outside of Connecticut,” Stabilito says. “Part of the idea is to solidify our repertoire and present our work on national stages.”
As for musicians considering a Hartt education, Stabilito says they can expect the same career-ready programs that all of UHart’s colleges provide. “Our education is so comprehensive that you have an orchestra working at a professional level, and you also have academic teachers that support the work that we are doing in the orchestra. What’s happening in the rehearsal room is supported by what’s happening in the classroom, with theory classes, musicology classes. But you’ll also have access to classes in music production or entrepreneurship. We work in collaboration, and that’s something that attracted me from the first day. You can discover what your real passion is.”