Jazz Ensemble I is the Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s advanced level big band group, comprised of traditional big band instrumentation: saxophones, trombones, trumpets, and a rhythm section featuring drums, piano, guitar, and bass, conducted by David D’Angelo.

Jazz Ensemble II  introduces students to the experience of performing in a traditional big band, and teaches students the evolution of big band music, familiarization with stylistic comparisons, and refinement of improvisational skills. Jazz Ensemble II is co-conducted by Greg Satterthwaite and James Weidman.

This concert is free with no tickets required.

Jazz Ensemble I is the Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s advanced level big band group, comprised of traditional big band instrumentation: saxophones, trombones, trumpets, and a rhythm section featuring drums, piano, guitar, and bass, conducted by David D’Angelo.

Jazz Ensemble II  introduces students to the experience of performing in a traditional big band, and teaches students the evolution of big band music, familiarization with stylistic comparisons, and refinement of improvisational skills. Jazz Ensemble II is co-conducted by Greg Satterthwaite and James Weidman.

This concert is free with no tickets required.

Under the direction of Vicki Lu, several distinguished guest artists often  join this fan favorite ensemble which features instruments such as the erhu, guzheng, pipa, hulusi, and the yangqin. Typically following the concert, the audience is invited on stage to explore the instruments.

This concert is free with no tickets required.

The British Brass Band has become an Athens fan favorite. The repertoire encompasses a wide variety of styles including excellent original works, marvelous transcriptions of orchestral works, as well as marches and other light pieces. British Brass Band is conducted by Gilbert Villagrana.

This concert is free with no tickets required.

The British Brass Band has become an Athens fan favorite. The repertoire encompasses a wide variety of styles including excellent original works, marvelous transcriptions of orchestral works, as well as marches and other light pieces. British Brass Band is conducted by Gilbert Villagrana.

This concert is free with no tickets required.

UGA Professor of Ethnomusicology Jean Kidula will be offering the African Music Ensemble this spring as an opportunity for students to discover and explore musical history, instrumentation, and expression that is rooted in African cultures and traditions.

This concert is free with no tickets required.

Daniel Bolshoy is committed to bringing the guitar to the attention of audiences everywhere. He is regularly praised for his friendly and informative spoken introductions, and progressive programming of solo and chamber music. His concert tours take him from prestigious international concert stages to remote villages and house-concerts. Bolshoy has performed as a soloist with over sixty orchestras internationally and across Canada, including the Mexico City Philharmonic, Israel Chamber, Volgograd Symphony (Russia), and the symphony orchestras of New Mexico, Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Kingston, Victoria, Okanagan, Saskatoon, and Nova Scotia.

This event is free and includes a reception with the artist immediately following.
RSVPs are encouraged but not required. 

RSVP for Daniel Bolshoy, guitar 3/17/26 at 7:30 p.m.

Levon Ambartsumian is Regent’s and Franklin Professor of Violin at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Prior to coming to UGA in 1995, he was a visiting professor at Indiana University School of Music, replacing legendary American violin teacher Joseph Gingold.  Ambartsumian also taught for 15 years at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, beginning in 1978. Ambartsumian is an alumnus of the Moscow Central Music School and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where his teachers were Felix Andrievski, Yury Yankelevitch, Leonid Kogan, and Igor Bezrodny. In 1977, he became the First Prize winner of Zagreb International Violin Competition. 

This event is free and includes a reception with the artist immediately following.
RSVPs are encouraged but not required. 

RSVP for Levon Ambartsumian, violin 2/17/26 at 7:30 p.m.

Damon Denton was born in Charleston, S.C., and grew up in Severna Park, Maryland. He is a graduate of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and The Juilliard School where he received a Master of Music degree studying under Russian pianist, Oxana Yablonskaya. He has been a faculty accompanist at the University of Georgia since 2010. During his career, Denton has performed concerts in England, Ireland, Mexico, Germany, South Africa, and throughout the United States. Venue highlights have included: Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, The University of South Africa, and The State Theater of Pretoria among others.

This event is free and includes a reception with the artist immediately following. 
RSVPs are encouraged but not required. 

RSVP for Damon Denton, piano 11/5/25 at 7:30 p.m.

Anne Slovin, soprano, will be joining the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music voice faculty this fall as assistant professor of voice. Slovin is a versatile performing artist, researcher, and voice pedagogue who earned her doctorate from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in 2025. Passionate about crossing genres and exploring new vocal repertoires and styles, she has recently performed as Eve in Haydn’s The Creation at the University of Notre Dame, collaborated across universities for Tom Cipullo’s A Visit With Emily, and joined the Raritan Players in Bloomington and New York City for a concert of 18th-century Jewish music.

This event is free and includes a reception with the artist immediately following.
RSVPs are encouraged but not required. 

RSVP for Anne Slovin, soprano 10/30/2025 at 7:30 p.m.