Arts & Humanities Society & Culture

UGA Performing Arts Center announces 2013-2014 season

Wynton Marsalis-trumpet-PAC-env.h
Wynton Marsalis will perform with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Chorus Oct. 10.

Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Performing Arts Center has announced the roster of artists for the 2013-2014 season.

“I’m looking forward to this, our eighteenth season, as we invite our audience to discover the rich variety of arts at UGA,” said George C. Foreman, director of the Performing Arts Center director. “It will be a year full of incomparable performances by world-class artists offering a broad spectrum of entertainment with something for everyone to enjoy.”

The 2013-2014 season will feature Hal Holbrook in “Mark Twain Tonight!” on Nov. 15. The Oscar-nominated Holbrook has been bringing the unique humor of American author Mark Twain to the stage for nearly 50 years. On Feb. 11, violinist Joshua Bell will give a recital. He was recently appointed music director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the first person and first American to hold the post since Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958.

In addition to the special events, the Performing Arts Center will present seven different performance series showcasing music, dance and theater from around the world.

The PAC will continue its partnership with the Classic Center with three collaborations: improv masters Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, stars of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” in Two Man Group on Nov. 7; the international percussion STOMP on March 5 and 6; and the Rudolf Nureyev State Ballet Theatre performing “The Nutcracker” on Dec. 21-22.

The 2013-2014 season will open Sept. 29 with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Spano with guest pianist André Watts. The ASO will return on Feb. 2 with guest conductor Roberto Abbado and violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg.

Also this season, Wynton Marsalis will perform with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Chorus Oct. 10 and Branford Marsalis will perform with the Branford Marsalis Quartet April 6.

The Performing Arts Center will continue to offer pre-concert lectures 45 minutes prior to select performances, and the PAC is again collaborating with the Georgia Museum of Art to invite patrons to “Make It an Evening” by arriving early for museum gallery tours and dessert.

Subscriptions to the 2013-2014 season are on sale. For more information or a free brochure, contact the Performing Arts Center box office at 706-542-4400 or toll free at 888-289-8497. The 2013-2014 season brochure can be viewed online by visiting the PAC’s website at pac.uga.edu.

Single tickets for individual Performing Arts Center events will go on sale Aug. 26.

The following is the 2013-2014 season schedule of the UGA Performing Arts Center by series:

Special Events
• Hal Holbrook in “Mark Twain Tonight!” Nov. 15, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
Oscar-nominated actor Hal Holbrook has brought Mark Twain to the stage for nearly 50 years
• Rudolf Nureyev State Ballet Theatre perform “The Nutcracker,” Dec. 21, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Dec. 22, 3 p.m., Classic Center Theatre
Filled with Tchaikovsky’s music, including “Waltz of the Flowers,” “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” and “Waltz of the Snowflakes,” “The Nutcracker” is a holiday experience.
• Joshua Bell, violin, Feb. 11, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
Joshua Bell’s career includes Grammy and Oscar-winning projects, along with a performance at the White House.

Masterworks
• Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and a mass choir perform “The Abyssinian Mass,” Oct. 10, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
Wynton Marsalis composed the “Abyssinian Mass” in 2008 in honor of the 200th anniversary of Harlem’s landmark Abyssinian Baptist Church. The music draws on American music including New Orleans dirges and struts, hard-bop, the Duke Ellington big-band legacy, gospel and harmonized ballads.
• Vienna Boys Choir, Oct. 15, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
The Wiener Sängerknaben, or Vienna Boys Choir, traces its founding back to 1498 when Emperor Maximilian I moved his court and court musicians from Innsbruck to Vienna.
• Rudolf Nureyev State Ballet Theatre perform “Sleeping Beauty,” Jan. 14-15, 8 p.m., Fine Arts Theatre
Founded in 1938 as the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Rudolf Nureyev State Ballet Theatre is based in Ufa, the capitol city of the Russian republic of Bashkortostan.
• Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Roberto Abbado, conductor, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin, Feb. 2, 2 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
The all-Russian program includes Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1, Mussorgsky’s “Prelude to Khovanshchina” and Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances.”
• Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Ryu Goto, violin, Feb. 27, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
For their first visit to Hodgson Hall, the orchestra’s program includes Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings.”
• Chamber Orchestra of the Kremlin, Misha Rachlevsky, conductor, March 26, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
Founded in 1991 by conductor Misha Rachlevsky, the Chamber Orchestra of the Kremlin showcases some of Russia’s finest young string players in performances that draw consistent critical acclaim.

Classics
• Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Robert Spano, conductor, Andre Watts, Piano, Sept. 29, 3 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
This program features Bach’s Suite No. 3 for Orchestra, Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3.
• Pilobolus, Jan. 23-24, 8 p.m., Fine Arts Theatre
A dance company that has appeared on the 79th Annual Academy Awards, the Oprah Winfrey show and the Conan O’Brien show.
• Krasnoyarsk National Dance Company of Siberia, Feb. 3, 8 p.m., Fine Arts Theatre
Performing to the music of an orchestra playing folk and traditional instruments, the dancers create a dizzying swirl of color and motion.
• Lara St. John, violin, and the Pablo Ziegler Tango Quartet, April 3, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
As part of the Piazzolla Central Park Concert 25th Anniversary Tour, Lara St. John, composer-pianist Pablo Ziegler and the Pablo Ziegler Tango Quartet re-create a famous 1987 concert in a tribute that includes the late Astor Piazzolla’s works and Ziegler originals.

Franklin College Chamber Music Series
• Hermès String Quartet, Oct. 6, 3 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
Winner of the 2012 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Paris-based Hermès Quartet opens the chamber music season as this year’s Payne Memorial Concert.
• Escher String Quartet with Jason Vieaux, guitar, Oct. 20, 3 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
The Escher String Quartet joins guitarist Jason Vieaux for a program of rarely heard music for string quartet and guitar.
• David Geringas, cello, and Ian Fountain, piano, Jan. 21, 8 p.m., Ramsey Concert Hall
The Lithuanian cellist David Geringas won First Prize and the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1970. In 1989 Ian Fountain became the youngest winner of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters Competition in Tel Aviv at the age of 19.
• Gryphon Trio with Robert Pomakov, bass, Feb. 18, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
The piano trios joins with Metropolitan Opera bass Robert Pomakov in a performance featuring works by Russian composers Modest Mussorgksy and Dmitri Shostakovich and the contemporary Ukrainian composer Valentin Silverstrov.
• Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at the Arch Chamber Music Festival March 1 at 8 p.m. and March 2 at 3 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
A chamber music group whose repertoire covers more than three centuries.

Ramsey Concert Hall Series
• Ran Dank and Soyeon Kate Lee, duo piano, Oct. 23, 8 p.m., Ramsey Concert Hall
The husband and wife perform a program that features piano versions of Stravinsky’s ballets, “The Firebird,” “Petrushka” and “The Rite of Spring.”
• Caleb Hudson, trumpet, Nov. 11, 8 p.m., Ramsey Concert Hall
A recent graduate of the Juilliard School, Hudson performs on both the modern and the Baroque trumpet. This spring, Hudson became the newest member of the Canadian Brass.
• Benjamin Beilman, violin, April 1, 8 p.m., Ramsey Concert Hall
Violinist Benjamin received both a 2012 Avery Fisher Career Grant and a 2012 London Music Masters Award. In 2010, Beilman was First Prize winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions.

Show Biz
• Noam Pikelny Band, Oct. 28, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
Noam Pikelny is a founding member of Punch Brothers. In 2010, Pikelny was awarded the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass.
• Dukes of Dixieland, Feb. 8, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
Dukes of Dixieland fuse elements of pop, gospel and country with authentic New Orleans sounds.
• Guitar Passions with Sharon Isbin, guitar; Stanley Jordan, jazz guitar; and Romero Lubambo, Brazilian guitar; Feb. 16, 3 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
An evening of classical, Latin, Brazilian and jazz guitar.
• Celtic Nights, March 19, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
Celtic Nights features vocalists, dancing and musicianship that weaves together the lilting melodies and plaintive lyrics of the rich Celtic heritage to tell the story of a people.
• Branford Marsalis, April 6, 3 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
Branford Marsalis has received a Grammy Award, a Tony Award nomination and was named an NEA Jazz Master.

Off-Broadway
• Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood in Two Man Group, Nov. 7, 8 p.m., Classic Center Theatre
It’s all made up on the spot with loads of audience interaction as the stars of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” weave hilarity from out of thin air.
• Golden Dragon Acrobats, Nov. 18-20, 8 p.m., Fine Arts Theatre
A Chinese acrobatic company that combines acrobatics, traditional dance, colorful costumes and ancient and contemporary music
• Jive Aces, Dec. 2, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
The jive and swing band was the first band to reach the semifinals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2012. They perform jazz standards and original swing compositions. The concert will feature the UGA Ballroom Dance Performance Group.
• Second City Company in “Happily Ever Laughter,” Jan. 27-29, 8 p.m., Ramsey Concert Hall
The sketch comedy and improv theatre troupe returns for more social and political satire with a brand new show.
• STOMP, March 5-6, 8 p.m., Classic Center Theatre
The international percussion ensemble has appeared on numerous national television shows. The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments-matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters and hubcaps-to fill the stage with rhythms.

The Arco Series
• ARCO Chamber Orchestra, Nov. 5, 8 p.m. and Feb. 25, 8 p.m., Hodgson Concert Hall
The ARCO Chamber Orchestra was established in 1990 by Levon Ambartsumian, during his years as professor of violin at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Since 1995, the orchestra has been based in Athens at UGA, where Ambartsumian is Franklin Professor of Violin at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music.