American violin virtuoso Hilary Hahn, a three-time Grammy winner, is making her Athens debut Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Hodgson Concert Hall. She is appearing without a pianist, as her program consists entirely of music for solo violin by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Hahn is a musician with more than 20 albums (two of them all-Bach), a history of supporting living composers, and an impressive social media presence. Her Instagram-based practice initiative, #100daysofpractice, has helped transform rehearsal into a community-oriented celebration of artistic development. She has even recorded with the rock band …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.
This season, Hahn appears as soloist in concertos by Brahms, Sibelius, Dvorák, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, as well as Pablo de Sarasate’s “Carmen” Fantasy and Einojuhani Rautavaara’s “Deux Sérénades,” which appears in its U.S. premiere. In addition to recitals of works by Lera Auerbach and Sergei Prokofiev in London and Berlin, she performs the Bach repertoire that made her known in solo recitals in London, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and here in Athens.
Bach’s solo sonatas and partitas remain at the summit of the violin repertoire 300 years after they were written. They require exquisite precision and supreme lyricism to solve all the musical challenges they present. In many places, given the density of the writing, a casual listener might think that more than one violinist is playing. In other places, Bach spins out melodies based on Baroque dances. Some of Bach’s most familiar tunes emerge in the Partita No. 3, which is at the center of Hahn’s program.
Hahn is not the only dazzling young violinist to perform for UGA Presents this season. On Sept. 24, Arnaud Sussmann, winner of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, plays a free (tickets required) concert with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. March 18, 2024, marks the UGA Presents debut of fellow Avery Fisher Career Grant winner Geneva Lewis.
Join audiences for a free pre-performance talk by Theresa Chafin in Ramsey Concert Hall from 6:45-7:15 p.m.
This performance is sponsored by John A. Maltese and Carol and Paul Kurtz.
Three ways to get tickets
- Purchase tickets online at pac.uga.edu.
- Call the Performing Arts Center box office at 706-542-4400, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center box office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (five-minute parking is available in the drop off circle at the Performing Arts Center for purchasing or picking up tickets.)
Single tickets begin at $25, and UGA student tickets are just $10. Parking is free.
To learn more about all UGA Performing Arts Center events, visit pac.uga.edu.