Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Performing Arts Center will present a rare complete performance of Handel’s “Messiah” Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The concert will feature The Knights chamber orchestra from New York and the UGA Hodgson Singers along with four professional soloists.
The program will open with The Knights performing Arcangelo Corelli’s “Christmas Concerto.”
The New York Times has praised The Knights for their “polished performances and imaginative programming,” and the Los Angeles Times calls them “the future of classical music in America.”
Founded by the Jacobsen brothers, violinist Colin and cellist Eric, The Knights have collaborated with a list of music superstars that includes cellist Yo-Yo Ma, soprano Dawn Upshaw, violinist Itzhak Perlman and banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck. The ensemble will return to Athens in February as chamber orchestra in residence with a Masterworks series concert and special educational programs for area school children.
Under the direction of Daniel Bara, the UGA Hodgson Singers were the 2014 Grand Prix winners of the International Choral Competition Ave Verum in Salzburg, Austria. The Hodgson Singers will be joined by four professional soloists for the “Messiah”: soprano Molly Quinn, countertenor Reginald Mobley, tenor Kyle Stegall and bass-baritone Paul Max Tipton.
Tickets for the concert are $32-$47 and are discounted for UGA students. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400 or toll free at 888-289-8497.
The Athens residency of The Knights is presented in cooperation with the Classic Center Foundation.
