One of the world’s most celebrated string quartets is making a welcome return to Athens for a collaboration with an equally lauded piano virtuoso.
The Takács Quartet performs March 24 at 3 p.m. at Hodgson Concert Hall with pianist Marc-André Hamelin.
Their program extends our season-long look at Antonin Dvořák with his “Piano Quintet, Op. 81.” It includes the second work on the Franklin College Chamber Music Series by 20th century Black American composer Florence Price, her “Piano Quintet No. 2.” Hugo Wolf’s “Italian Serenade” for quartet begins the compelling afternoon.
The Takács Quartet, which includes Edward Dusinberre, Harumi Rhodes (violins), Richard O’Neill (viola) and András Fejér (cello), is now entering its 49th season. The members of the Takács Quartet are Christoffersen Fellows and Artists in Residence at the University of Colorado, Boulder. For the current season, the quartet enters into a partnership with El Sistema Colorado, working closely with its chamber music education program in Denver. During the summer months, the Takács members join the faculty at the Music Academy of the West, running an intensive quartet seminar.
Hamelin is known for his blend of musicianship and technique in the great works of the established repertoire, as well as for his intrepid exploration of the rarities of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. He regularly performs around the globe with the leading orchestras and conductors and gives recitals at major concert venues and festivals worldwide.
Born in Montreal, he is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the German Record Critics’ Association and has received 7 Juno Awards, 11 Grammy nominations and the 2018 Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. In December 2020, he was awarded the Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award for Keyboard Artistry from the Ontario Arts Foundation. Hamelin is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec, and a member of the Royal Society of Canada.
Audiences may also attend a free pre-performance talk by Theresa Chafin in Ramsey Concert Hall from 2:15-2:45 p.m.
This performance is supported by Marty Farnsworth and Jed Rasula and Suzi Wong.
Three ways to get tickets
- Purchase tickets online at pac.uga.edu.
- Call the Performing Arts Center box office at 706-542-4400, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center box office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (five-minute parking is available in the drop off circle at the Performing Arts Center for purchasing or picking up tickets.)
Single tickets begin at $25, and UGA student tickets are just $10. Parking is free.
To learn more about all UGA Performing Arts Center events, visit pac.uga.edu.
