Liz Hebbard is a rare combination of someone who is both artistically and intellectually gifted. She is a triple major in German, French and music performance who also performs Mahler with the university orchestra, carries a 3.98 GPA , swims, plays soccer, and has performed with the Redcoat Marching Band.Last summer, she went with the band to China, played in an orchestra in South Carolina, and taught at several music camps. She has auditioned for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Hebbard will be graduating in May and is applying for a Fulbright Fellowship to go to Germany next year. She hopes to make a career in the study of languages and linguistics.
Hometown:
Roswell, Georgia
High School:
Roswell High School
Degree objective:
BM in music performance, BA in French and German
Expected graduation:
May 2007
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
I have received the Presser Scholar Award for achievement in music, the Wilcox Prize in French, and I am a member in the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Phi Kappa Lamba National Music Honor Society, and Pi Delta Phi National French Honor Society. As a sophomore, I presented some French linguistics research at the CURO symposium, and I hope to publish it soon. That summer, I received a Kicklighter Travel Grant to participate in the UGA at Erlangen Program for six weeks in Germany. I am also a member of the National Honorary Band Service Fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi. The co-ed fraternity supports and promotes college band programs and our chapter works closely with the University of Georgia Redcoat Band, in which I marched for four years. This past May, I traveled with the band to China for an amazing two-week tour where we saw six cities and performed five 90-minute shows for thousands of people who had never seen or heard a marching band before. Their response was great, and the experience was unforgettable.
Current Employment:
I teach private music lessons to middle school and high school students from Athens, Watkinsville, Winder, and Atlanta. Some of these kids have never held a bassoon before, and it’s amazing to be the one to introduce them to the instrument and to the world of music. In the summers, I teach at several marching band camps and music camps, including the University of Georgia summer music camps, and the Summer Bassoon Extravaganza hosted by Emory University, which was featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this summer. The camp is designed to give bassoon players of all ages an opportunity to learn about reed-making; to meet and work with professional players and teachers; and to play solo, chamber, and large-ensemble works for bassoon, as well as to get to know others who share their love for the unusual instrument.
Family Ties to UGA:
My brothers and I are currently working on some family ties for future Hebbard generations! My older brother, Adam, received his bachelor’s degree in history from UGA in 2005, and he is now in his second year in the law school here. My younger brother, Matt, is in his second year in the pharmacy program at UGA, which he entered after two years of undergraduate work.
I chose to attend UGA because…
…it seemed like a much better deal than the other schools I was interested in. The diversity of disciplines and programs appealed to my indecisiveness, and I was amazed at the number of opportunities I saw everywhere on campus. I had come to visit my brother and despite wanting to be different from him and attend another university, I loved everything I saw here. I decided UGA is where I wanted to go.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
…read on Herty Field, listen to the pick-up bluegrass band by Forestry on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and swim at Ramsey.
When I have free time, I like…
…to read. No, I LOVE to read. I try to make time for pleasure reading every day and I don’t always succeed, but the days I do are good days. I also like playing frisbee, tennis, and backpacking. I’ve hiked almost all of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia (most of it several times). Photography is another passion of mine. I enjoy trying my hand at it in my spare time.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
…add a third major in my junior year. I don’t know what I was thinking but it’s been great.
My favorite place to study is…
…anywhere I have friends with whom to collaborate! I like talking with them about our projects. It usually inspires interesting conversations. If I need quiet time, though, I like to sit in a big leather reading chair by the window in my room.
My favorite professor is…
I have three: Martin Kagel, Diana Ranson, and Davis Haas. All three of these amazing people share a deep love for what they do and it is apparent in their varied teaching styles and in the way they are able to reach their students. In addition, both Dr. Ranson and Dr. Kagel have come out to hear my recitals and Dr. Haas is always quick to congratulate me on the latest UGA Symphony Orchestra concert. I am wholly grateful for their academic guidance and personal support.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…Marcel Proust. His life’s work, In Search of Lost Time, is probably the greatest thing I’ve ever read.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
…audition for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. I’d love to know what it’s like to play in Avery Fisher Hall with such incredible musicians.
After graduation, I plan to…
…pursue graduate work in languages and linguistics and do a lot of traveling. Currently, I’m applying for a Fulbright Grant to travel and study in Europe.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
…putting on a Redcoat Marching Band uniform and performing between the hedges on football game Saturdays.
