Hugh Hodgson Faculty Series translates voice to woodwinds in Nov. performance

The next installment of the Hugh Hodgson Faculty Series will employ a trio of School of Music faculty to transform works for voice and piano into new, imaginative constructions.

The creator of the program—and several of the arrangements therein—is Connie Frigo, associate professor of saxophone at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. For her, the Nov. 3 recital, set for 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall, is a high-water mark.

“The heart of this program features transcriptions of vocal songs, book-ended by lovely trios for saxophone, flute and piano,” said Frigo. “It represents the most elegant recital I have ever programmed and stands out as a favorite.”

According to Frigo, much of the saxophone repertoire over the last half-century has been populated with “athletic, contemporary pieces that showcase the technical and rhythmic virtuosity of today’s players.” 

But in the last several years, she has studied saxophone performance of art songs, which are vocal music compositions typically written for one voice with piano accompaniment and in the classical tradition.

“I was immediately captivated by the imagination it took to get inside each note of a song: a far different kind of imagination and insight than original repertoire demands,” said Frigo.

Joining Frigo will be Angela Jones-Reus, professor of flute, and Liza Stepanova, assistant professor of piano. Both have experience with the type of art songs at the core of Frigo’s program, and that experience influenced the construction of the program.

“I invited Angela to join me on this program because I love her artistry,” said Frigo. “When she shared with me that the inventor and founder of the modern flute, Theobald Boehm, arranged Schubert songs in the 1800s, they fit perfectly with the song sets I had in mind to perform and the heart of our program was born.

"And it's an honor to have new UGA faculty member Liza join us, given her breadth of experience in chamber music and art songs.  It feels like a trio that was waiting to happen, and we are all equally excited to share this program."

Tickets are $10 each or $5 with a UGA student ID and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, by calling 706-542-4400 or by visiting pac.uga.edu. 

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music sponsors more than 350 performances each year. To view the performance calendar, subscribe to the weekly email concert listing or learn more about the School of Music, go to music.uga.edu.