The ARCO Chamber Orchestra’s next performance will feature a variety of music. The first half of the concert will include two contrasting concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach and Efram Podgaits that are three centuries apart. The second half of the concert will include Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s famous keyboard work The Seasons.

The concert will take place on Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall.

Let’s Party!, the Hodgson Wind Ensemble continues the 2019-20 season with exciting and festive pieces to keep the party going. Come join the party and move to rhythms from Cuban to Greek and join us in the “Tweet Seats” to interact with the music in real time!

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s Ensemble Series continues on Thursday, September 26 at 7:30 with a concert by the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra in Hodgson Hall. “This concert celebrates nationalism in music,” says Director of Orchestral ActivitiesMark Cedel. 

The first part of the concert features favorite works of two of our greatest American composers.  To open the concert, Dr. Jaclyn Hartenberger, Associate Director of Bands, will guest conduct Samuel Barber's hauntingly beautiful Adagio for Strings. 

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music is excited for the new Faculty Artist Series season opener featuring husband and wife team, Col Legno Duo. The duo is made up of University of Georgia’s associate professor of bassoon, Amy Pollard, and her husband Scott Pollard, the Artist Affiliate in percussion at Emory University. This new season will kick-off on Monday, September 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Ramsey Hall.

UGA Opera Theatre currently produces two full opera productions per academic year plus an additional opera scenes program. The fall production is presented in Hodgson Hall in collaboration with the UGA Symphony Orchestra and the UGA Choirs.

The spring production is presented in the Fine Arts Theatre on North Campus. The Opera Ensemble class is open to anyone interested in performing in the opera chorus and does not require an audition. Occasional secondary roles are offered to singers in this ensemble. 

At the end of the academic year, usually in April, the Opera Ensemble presents an opera scenes program with piano in either Hodgson Hall or Ramsey Hall in the Performing Arts Center.

The Opera Theatre class is designed for more developed singers who generally sing the primary solo roles in each opera production. This class is open to singers by audition only.

Reimagined by international opera star Frederick Burchinal in 2006, the UGA Opera Theatre has spent the last eighteen years growing and developing, providing graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to stretch the boundaries of their voices as they explore new and challenging repertoire. In 2021, Daniel Ellis, international director of opera and theatre, joined the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, bringing his expertise as a professional director and acting teacher. He has crafted all the wonderful operas at UGA for the past three seasons.

There is always a time in a university opera ensemble when so many graduations at once lead to a fresh start. Now is one of those exciting moments. As we welcome our incoming graduate students in vocal performance, as well as continue to develop our undergraduate singers, we are still selecting a piece that will support their professional growth. Tickets are already available with the general titles “Fall Opera” and “Spring Opera” at the time of this publication. We have narrowed down our short list and will have a separate announcement coming soon once rights and permissions have been confirmed.

The University Philharmonia is under the supervision of Mark Cedel.  The ensemble is conducted also by graduate students majoring in orchestral conducting.  It meets Tuesday evenings from 6:30 - 8:30 PM.  All students receive one hour of course credit.

The orchestra performs under the baton of Mark Cedel, and is primarily composed of music majors. Members are selected by audition.

All sections of the orchestra are auditioned prior to the start of each semester. Instrumentalists will find their audition information here.

ENSEMBLES

Jazz Ensemble I is the Hodgson School's advanced level big band, and as such is made up of advanced students.  The group is comprised of traditional big band instrumentation: saxophones, trombones, trumpets, and a rhythm section featuring drums, piano, guitar, and bass.  The band performs music of a variety of styles, including swing, be-bop, latin, and contemporary jazz. Performances take place both on campus and at off-campus events by invitation.

Jazz Ensemble II, an introductory level ensemble at the Hodgson School, introduces students to the experience of performing in a traditional big band. By participating in Jazz Ensemble II, students study the evolution of  big band music, familiarize themselves with stylistic comparisons, and refine their improvisational skills. 

Like Jazz Ensemble I, this ensemble is made up of traditional big band instrumentation, and plays music of various styles both on campus and in the community.

 The Jazz Studio Orchestra combines Jazz Ensemble I with string instruments to recreate the common instrumentation of a studio orchestra recording session.  The group's April 4, 2013 debut concert featured four commissioned pieces representing the broad variety of settings for this instrumentation, including movie sound tracks, Broadway shows, and commercial jingles.  

Like all other ensembles, the Jazz Studio Orchestra performs both on campus and elsewhere by invitation.

All UGA students are invited to participate in UGA's Jazz Combos, with the permission of the instructor. Combos are typically made up of a rhythm section of drums, piano, guitar, and bass, in addition to several horn players.  

Students work on American standards, jazz standards, latin jazz, and contemporary commercial compositions. The setting provides students with the opportunity to develop their improvisational skills. Each song rehearsed in combos is accompanied by an in-depth study of the piece's chord, melodic, and harmonic structures. Students are also encouraged to write their own original compositions for performance. 

Combos give one recital on campus per semester and are frequently invited to other performances both on and off campus.

Students interested in pursuing a minor in Jazz Music should be sure to audition and apply.  For more information about the wonderful opportunity, please contact David D'Angelo at ddangelo@uga.edu.

The UGA Chamber Music Society is a student run organization designed to help undergraduate students of all majors continue their passion for music by forming music ensembles and performing throughout the community. This is accomplished by providing students a platform to gain invaluable performance experience and also share live music to the Athens community, performing in such venues as retirement homes, hospitals, weddings, receptions, cocktail hours, and holiday festivities.



For more information, visit the UGA Chamber Music Society website.

The University of Georgia Contemporary Chamber Ensemble (CCE) is a performance group composed of graduate and undergraduate students. Since 1979 the ensemble has focused on the performance of modern masterworks and recent music. The ensemble has performed at many major metropolitan centers in the Eastern and Southeastern United States, including Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City, the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina; the Society of Composers, Inc. National Convention in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and Atlanta, Georgia. During the last two years the ensemble has focused on a new campus concert series entitled UGA Concerts 1900+. Featured composers include Dominick Argento, George Crumb, Meyer Kupferman, Leo Smit, Erik Satie, Ned Rorem, Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ohana, Huang Ruo, John Cage, and UGA composers Adrian P. Childs and Leonard V. Ball, Jr.