Editor’s note: Updated March 19 to reflect new dates for previously scheduled spring 2020 performances.
University of Georgia Performing Arts Center Director Jeffrey Martin has announced the roster of artists for 2019-20. The upcoming season will include 35 events in seven different series showcasing the world’s premier entertainers.
“This new season, UGA Presents will bring dynamic performances by artists from 16 different countries spanning numerous genres and styles of music, theater and dance to the heart of the University of Georgia’s campus,” Martin said.
The 2019-20 season will feature a diverse array of musical talent including Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, two-time Tony winner and Georgia native Sutton Foster, the Kronos Quartet with Iranian vocalist Masha Vahdat and the London-based Kingdom Choir, whose performance of “Stand By Me” at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was seen by more than 2 billion people worldwide.
The Kingdom Choir
In addition to the regularly scheduled series, UGA Presents will feature Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis March 28.
Classical and chamber music will be well-represented with concerts by world-renowned ensembles including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, the Bel Canto Trio, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the British choir Tenebrae. One highlight of the classical offerings will be a duo recital with violinist Robert McDuffie, also a Georgia native, and pianist and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra music director Robert Spano.
“The year 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth in 1770, and many of our classical artists will celebrate the master composer by performing his music throughout the season,” Martin said.
True to its name, the World Stage series will feature talent from around the globe with India’s Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, Ireland’s Danú performing “An Emerald Isle Christmas,” Argentina’s Che Malambo dance troupe, Denmark’s Dreamers Circus folk band and America’s own Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn.
The Theatre series will include the return of the always-popular Second City comedy improv troupe, Europe’s Out of Chaos performing a high-octane 80-minute adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Australia’s Last Great Hunt company with “New Owner,” which incorporates puppetry, live performance and animation.
Circa
Other notable events include Ailey II, one of America’s leading dance companies; Circa, an Australian contemporary circus; and Scrap Arts Music, a Canadian ensemble that transforms recycled materials into extraordinary percussion instruments.
“Each of these artists will bring with them their own unique set of experiences, perspectives and abilities to entertain. As we embark on this new season together, my hope remains that everyone in our community might experience something they can relate to on our stages,” Martin said.
The season opens Sept. 6 with a concert by the Aaron Diehl Trio, featuring virtuoso jazz pianist Diehl, bass player Paul Sikivie and drummer Quincy Davis.
Subscription packages are now on sale for the 2019-20 season with savings up to 25% off single ticket prices. Subscriptions can be purchased online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400.
Tickets can also be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, 230 River Road. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Following is the UGA Presents 2019-20 season by series:
Special Events
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (March 28)
Brian Stokes Mitchell – “Plays With Music” (April 24) — CANCELED
Encounters
Aaron Diehl Trio (Sept. 6)
An Evening with Sutton Foster (Sept. 28)
Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder (Oct. 26)
Ailey II (Jan. 31)
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (March 19)
The Kingdom Choir (April 23, 2021)
Franklin College Chamber Music Series
Takács Quartet (Oct. 22)
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (Jan. 21)
Vienna Piano Trio (Feb. 26)
Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet (March 6)
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (March 29)
Classics I
Sarah Chang, violin and Julio Elizalde, piano (Sept. 19)
Tenebrae – “Path of Miracles” (Nov. 10)
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with Emanuel Ax, piano (Nov. 24)
Curtis Symphony Orchestra with Jonathan Biss, piano (Feb. 3)
Robert McDuffie, violin, and Robert Spano, piano (March 22, 2021)
Classics II
Zurich Chamber Orchestra with Daniel Hope, violin (Nov. 14)
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus – “Messiah” (Dec. 15)
Dasol Kim, piano (Jan. 15)
Bel Canto Trio (Feb. 14)
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra – “The Rite of Spring” (Postponed, date TBA)
Perspectives
Kronos Quartet with Mahsa Vahdat (Sept. 15)
Circa – “Humans” (Jan. 24 and 25)
Scrap Arts Music – “Children of Metropolis” (April 14)—CANCELED
Philharmonix (Apr. 19)
World Stage
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble (Oct. 6)
Danú – “An Emerald Isle Christmas” (Dec. 5)
Che Malambo (Feb. 21)
Dreamers Circus (Feb. 29)
Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn (Postponed, date TBA)
Theatre
Out of Chaos – “Macbeth” (Oct. 16)
The Last Great Hunt – “New Owner” (Feb. 7)
The Second City – “Laughing for All the Wrong Reasons” (June 5-6)
