The annual Payne Memorial Concert on the UGA Presents series is a free event celebrating the cultural life of the university and the community. This year’s performance, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, in Hodgson Concert Hall, marks the return of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) and its co-artistic directors, pianist Wu Han and cellist David Finckel. They will be joined by violinist Arnaud Sussman and violist Paul Neubauer in a program of music by Beethoven, Ysaÿe and Dvořák.
Han and Finckel have led the CMS since 2004, two years after starting the innovative Silicon Valley chamber music festival Music@Menlo. In 1997, they founded ArtistLed, the first internet-based, artist-controlled classical music label, and in 2012, they were named Musical America’s Musicians of the Year.
Sussman is the winner of a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant and is artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach. Minnesota’s Pioneer Press writes, “Sussmann has an old-school sound reminiscent of what you’ll hear on vintage recordings by Jascha Heifetz or Fritz Kreisler, a rare combination of sweet and smooth that can hypnotize a listener.” Neubauer, called a “master musician” by the New York Times, is among the most prominent violists of his generation, having appeared as soloist with more than 100 orchestras worldwide.
Though admission to this performance is free, tickets are required.
A free pre-performance talk by Theresa Chafin will be held in Ramsey Concert Hall from 2:15-2:45 p.m.
The Payne Memorial Concert is named in honor of William Jackson “Jack” Payne, former dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, who founded the Franklin College Chamber Music Series in 1978. Payne had a great love of the arts, and his wish was that the college should make a significant contribution to the cultural life of both the university and the Athens community through the chamber music series. In honor of his efforts, the Payne Memorial Concert is presented free to the public once each season.
The concert is sponsored by M. Jean Lauth and the late Thomas P. Lauth, Jane Payne, and WUGA 91.7 and 94.5 FM.
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.