The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann, brings one of the most powerful musical statements ever written to the University of Georgia Performing Arts Center’s Hodgson Concert Hall on Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
This UGA Presents program culminates with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125, “Choral,” a transcendent celebration of humanity and joy.
Joining Stutzmann and the orchestra are the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus, under the direction of Norman Mackenzie, and an exceptional quartet of soloists: soprano Christina Nilsson, mezzo-soprano Rhianna Cockrell, tenor Siyabonga Maqungo, and baritone Leon Košavić.
Before Beethoven’s monumental Ninth, the orchestra explores the sacred and the sublime in two works by Johann Sebastian Bach. The evening begins with the Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins and String Orchestra, BWV 1043, featuring David Coucheron, ASO concertmaster, and Lauren Roth, acting associate concertmaster. The program continues with Bach’s Cantata No. 56, “Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen,” a meditative work that likens life to a voyage across the sea, sung by baritone Leon Košavić and the ASO Chorus.
After intermission, the musicians turn to Beethoven’s Ninth. Its final movement, a setting of Friedrich Schiller’s poem “Ode to Joy,” remains one of the most stirring moments in all of art.
For more than three decades, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has been a cherished presence at the University of Georgia, performing regularly at the Performing Arts Center since its gala opening in 1996. The orchestra’s appearances in Athens offer audiences opportunities to experience one of the nation’s finest ensembles in the acoustically superb Hodgson Concert Hall, continuing a tradition of musical excellence that links Georgia’s flagship university with its world-class orchestra.
This performance is supported by Thomas Wilfong, Van and Libby V. Morris, Jinx and Gordhan Patel, Malcolm and Priscilla Sumner, and Betsy and Blair Dorminey.
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.)
Audience members can create their own series of three or more performances for 10% off. UGA Presents single tickets start at just $30 with promo code PAC30, and UGA student tickets are $15.
Information about accessibility and venue amenities is available on the PAC website. Parking is free.
To learn more about all UGA Performing Arts Center events, visit pac.uga.edu.