Arts & Humanities Campus News

American Contemporary Music Ensemble performs the music of Jóhann Jóhannsson

On Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m., the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) will perform the music of Jóhann Jóhannsson presented by the Performing Arts Center at Ramsey Concert Hall. (Photo by Mark Shelby Perry)

On Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m., the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) will perform the music of Jóhann Jóhannsson presented by the Performing Arts Center at Ramsey Concert Hall.

The Icelandic composer was most widely known for his Golden Globe Award-winning and Oscar-nominated film scores for “The Theory of Everything,” “Arrival” and “Sicario” but was equally adept in the concert music world. ACME’s performance at UGA will feature his chamber music, traversing his recorded catalog in music from his albums “Englabörn,” “IBM 1401,” “Fordlandia” and “Orphée,” as well as Clarice Jensen’s “For This From That Will Be Filled.”

ACME toured with Jóhann Jóhannsson from 2009 until his death in 2018 and can be heard on his 2016 Deutsche Grammophon album Orphée. In 2022, they released the world premiere recording of his contemporary oratorio “Drone Mass,” which they commissioned in 2015 for their 10th anniversary season. ACME recorded the album, also on Deutsche Grammophon, in collaboration with Theatre of Voices led by Paul Hillier.

At UGA, ACME will perform Jóhannsson’s “Odi et amo” (“Englabörn,” 2002), “Corpus Camera” from the television score of the same name (1999), “Ég heyrði allt án þess að hlusta” (“Englabörn,” 2002), “Englabörn” (“Englabörn,” 2002), “Sálfræðingur” (“Englabörn,” 2002), “Fordlandia” (“Fordlandia,” 2008), “Flight from the City” (“Orphée,” 2016), and “BC” (“For This From That Will Be Filled,” 2018)—a collaborative work by Jóhannsson and Jensen.

ACME first performed this program in Jóhannsson’s memory at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York in 2018, reprising selections that they played with the composer during their first concert with him—which was his New York debut—at (Le) Poisson Rouge in 2009.

ACME members for this concert include: Jensen, cello and ACME artistic director; violinists Ben Russell and Laura Lutzke; Kal Sugatski, viola; Adele Stein, cello; Grey McMurray, guitar; and Daniel Neumann, sound engineer.

This performance is supported by Bruce King and the late Jane King.

Three ways to get tickets

  1. Purchase tickets online at pac.uga.edu.
  2. Call the Performing Arts Center box office at 706-542-4400, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  3. 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.