UGA Symphony Orchestra opens Thursday Scholarship Series

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music will open the fall Thursday Scholarship Series with the UGA Symphony Orchestra for the first in-person concert of the scholarship season on Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Hodgson Hall.

“We are thrilled to invite you back into our concert halls for the 2021-2022 season, and it promises to be an exceptional year of music-making. Despite the challenges of this last year, our students and faculty continued to create, inspire, and perform at a world-class level, and I could not be prouder of their perseverance and spirit,” said Pete Jutras, director of the School of Music.

The UGASO’s first concert will be devoted to music of impressionistic composer Maurice Ravel and the great classicalist Ludwig van Beethoven. The program opens with the charming Mother Goose Suite by Ravel, and then continues with the Piano Concerto in G, with piano faculty David Fung as the soloist on the piece.

The second half of the program is Beethoven’s Symphony No 2, which is probably the least performed of his nine symphonies.  This piece was originally planned to be performed in March 2020 as part of the Beethoven 250 celebration. 1802 was a significant year for Beethoven. He produced Symphony No 2 and also wrote his Heiligenstadt Testament, in which he documents his ailments of being nearly deaf and yearning for death.  

“It is remarkable that in that time, such a bubbly and joyful work emerged. The genius of Beethoven,” said Mark Cedel conductor and director of Orchestral Acitivities.

Tickets to the concert are $20 for adults and $3 for students with a valid ID and can be purchased through the Performing Arts Center Box Office online, by calling 706-542-4400 or in person before the event. Fall Season Subscriptions are still on sale through the Sept. 16 for patrons to save money on the full season of Thursday Scholarship Series tickets. There will also be live streaming available via https://www.music.uga.edu/live-streaming. If joining in person, the Hodgson School strongly encourages patrons to wear a mask inside the halls and public spaces so that students and faculty can keep the music going.