Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Performing Arts Center will present The English Concert chamber orchestra Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall.
Artistic director Harry Bicket will conduct the world-renowned orchestra in a program featuring Handel’s “Water Music,” along with concertos by Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann.
The English Concert was created by Trevor Pinnock in 1973 and specializes in performances of Baroque and classical music.
Bicket, who was appointed artistic director in 2007, has an international reputation as an outstanding opera, concert conductor and virtuoso harpsichord player.
Under Bicket’s direction, the orchestra has toured to critical acclaim throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The Times of London praised a recent concert for its “razor-edge ensemble sense and faultless intonation.”
The English Concert’s discography includes more than 100 recordings for the Deutsche Grammophon and Harmonia Mundi labels. Recordings with Harry Bicket have been widely praised, including the recent release of Lucy Crowe’s debut solo recital, “Il caro Sassone.”
Theresa Chafin, a doctoral student in musicology at UGA, will give 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,” where Lynn Boland, the Pierre Daura Curator of European Art, will lead a gallery tour of “Water Music” for concert attendees. Jittery Joe’s coffee and desserts by Cecilia’s Cakes will be available for $5 per person. The “Make it an Evening” series continues March 7 and March 26.
The English Concert is scheduled to be recorded for broadcast on American Public Media’s “Performance Today,” heard by over 1.3 million listeners across the country.
Tickets for the concert are $20-$39 with discounts for UGA students. Tickets can be purchased online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706/542-4400 or toll free at 888/289-8497.
J. David Gordon is the performance underwriter.
