Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Performing Arts Center will present composer-pianist Pablo Ziegler and violinist Lara St. John April 3 at 8 p.m. in Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. Ziegler, St. John and the Pablo Ziegler Tango Quartet are joining forces for the Astor Piazzolla Central Park Concert 25th Anniversary Tour.
On September 6, 1987, Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla performed a landmark concert in New York’s Central Park. In August 2012, Ziegler, who was a member of Piazzolla’s band and performed in the original concert, joined St. John at the Naumberg Bandshell in Central Park to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Piazzolla’s Central Park concert. The 2012 concert drew the largest crowd in the 107-year history of the Naumberg Orchestral Concerts series.
Ziegler and St. John are now bringing that concert to Hodgson Hall in a Piazzolla tribute that will include the late Argentine composer’s most famous works along with original compositions by Ziegler.
The Buenos Aires-born Ziegler performed with Piazzolla’s legendary quintet for more than a decade. “When Piazzolla departed this Earth in 1992, the torch was passed to his longtime pianist who’s been carrying it proudly ever since… Ziegler has taken the tradition one step further,” said Dan Bilawsky of All About Jazz.
In addition to winning multiple Latin Grammys, Ziegler has been artist-in-residence at the Latin American Music Center at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and the MusicUnitesUs Intercultural Residency Series at Brandeis University.
St. John has been described as “something of a phenomenon” by The Strad and a “high-powered soloist” by The New York Times. She has performed with orchestras throughout Europe, Asia and North and South America. Her honors include the 2011 Juno Award in her native Canada for Classical Album of the Year.
Theresa Chafin, a UGA doctoral student in musicology, will offer a pre-concert lecture at 7:15 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public.
From 6-8 p.m., the Georgia Museum of Art (located next to the Performing Arts Center) will hold “Make It an Evening” with gallery tours before the concert. Jittery Joe’s coffee and desserts by Cecilia Villaveces’ Cakes will be available for $5 per person.
Tickets for the concert are $25 to $45 with discounts for UGA students. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400 or toll free at 888-289-8497.
The performance underwriters are Wayne A. and Linda Kirk Fox.
