The University of Georgia Performing Arts Center has announced the roster of artists for 2017-2018, a season that will showcase “The Three Bs Plus One.”
“Music lovers know Bach, Beethoven and Brahms as ‘The Three Bs.’ For many people, they are the greatest of all classical music composers,” said George C. Foreman, director of the Performing Arts Center.
“During the 2017-2018 season we will take audience members on a journey through the works of these musical giants. The fourth ‘B’ in this exciting lineup is Leonard Bernstein. 2018 marks the centennial of Bernstein’s birth, and his music will be featured when the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs both his Symphony No. 1, ‘Jeremiah,’ and his Symphony No. 2, ‘The Age of Anxiety,’ ” Foreman said.
The season will open Sept. 17 with an innovative keyboard music of “The Three Bs” concert. Three award-winning artists will perform selections on the types of instruments the composers would have used during their own lifetimes: Bach on the harpsichord, Beethoven on the fortepiano and Brahms on the modern grand piano.
The Performing Arts Center will once again partner with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to present six concerts throughout the season, establishing Athens as the greatest presence for the Chamber Music Society outside of New York. CMS will perform Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos as well as works by Beethoven and Brahms.
The Three Bs theme continues with the Hodgson Hall debut of the St. Thomas Church Boys Choir of Leipzig. Established in 1212, the St. Thomas Choir is one of Europe’s most revered musical institutions; Bach became its director in 1723, leading the choir for 27 years and composing hundreds of works for the ensemble.
For fans of more pops-oriented entertainment, the Performing Arts Center’s Show Biz series will offer the Blind Boys of Alabama, Neil Berg’s 50 Years of Rock and Roll, TAO Japanese drummers, a Valentine’s Day performance of American Rhapsody: The Gershwin Songbook and the return of Celtic fiddlers Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy.
A new series, Pops in Ramsey, will feature popular artists in the intimate setting of Ramsey Concert Hall. The eclectic mix of entertainment includes magician Chris Dugdale, The Second City comedy troupe, Angel of Music: A Salute to Andrew Lloyd Webber and the high-energy folk band The Bumper Jacksons.
Subscription packages are on sale for the 2017-2018 season with savings up to 30 percent off single ticket prices.
Single tickets go on sale Aug. 21. The 2017-2018 season brochure can be viewed online at http://tinyurl.com/ycgyex5f. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, by phone at 706-542-4400 or at pac.uga.edu.