Hector Berlioz wrote semi-autobiographical program notes for this piece that allude to the romantic sufferings of a gifted artist who has poisoned himself with opium because of his unrequited love for a beautiful and fascinating woman. The artist’s reveries take him to a ball and to a pastoral scene in a field, which is interrupted by a hallucinatory march to the scaffold, leading to a fantastic dance. This is certain to be an audience favorite.

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ABOUT MICHAEL STERN

Conductor Michael Stern has long been devoted to building and leading highly acclaimed orchestras known not only for their impeccable musicianship and creative programming, but also for collaborative, sustainable cultures that often include a vision of music as service to the community. He also is passionate about working with young musicians not only in music making, but also to incorporate the idea of “service” into their experiences as they become the artists and advocates of the future who will take classical music into the 21st century and beyond.

Stern currently holds three Music Director positions: with the Kansas City Symphony, where he will be concluding his 19-year tenure at the end of the 2023-2024 season; with the National Repertory Orchestra, a summer music festival in Breckenridge, CO which, for over 60 years, has provided an intensive, unique fellowship program for aspiring young musicians, and whose alumni populate every major orchestra across the United States; and with the newly rebranded Orchestra Lumos (formerly the Stamford Symphony). Stern was recently named Artistic Advisor of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, one of Canada’s foremost orchestral ensembles. And, following a 22-year tenure as founding Artistic Director of Iris Orchestra in Germantown, Tennessee, he now serves the newly reimagined Iris Collective as Artistic Advisor.

Stern joins the UGASO as guest conductor for the month of March, 2025.

During Stern’s tenure with the Kansas City Symphony, he and the orchestra have been recognized for their remarkable artistic ascent, original programming, organizational development, stability, and extraordinary audience growth. Under Stern’s leadership, the orchestra explored a wide range of repertoire and commissioned a number of new works. Stern and the KC Symphony also partnered with GRAMMY® Award-winning Reference Recordings for a collection of very well-received CDs that includes commissions by American composer Adam Schoenberg and by Jonathan Leshnoff, whose Symphony No. 3, inspired by World War I soldiers’ letters home, was premiered by the KC Symphony at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. The orchestra’s Reference Recordings releases also include Gustav Holst’s “The Planets”; a pairing of music Elgar and Vaughan Williams; “Miraculous Metamorphoses,” with music by Hindemith, Prokofiev and Bartók; and a disc of works by Saint-Saëns.  In 2021, Stern and the orchestra put out another widely praised recording, bringing together three one-movement symphonies by Sibelius, Barber, and Scriabin. The orchestra’s next recording will be released in the fall of 2022, featuring three works by Brahms arranged for orchestra by Bright Sheng, Virgil Thomson and Arnold Schoenberg.

Each year at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, the Composition Area presents a “composer in residence” who collaborates with one of our large ensembles. This year, they will be working with the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra to develop a world premiere performance. From the sound and concept of this piece, conductor Mark Cedel will pair additional complementary works for a provocative evening of music.

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Composer Paul Hindemith composed “Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber” shortly after coming to America after very public conflicts with the Nazi government in his native Germany.  The piece, going through a few transformations of its own, is regarded as one of Hindemith’s best works. “Metamorphosis”  is joined by selections from Richard Wagner’s “Lohengrin” and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3.

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The University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra season begins with an evening of Beethoven. The concert opens with the Coriolan Overture and the 3rd Piano Concerto, featuring new assistant professor in piano Alan Woo. The evening will conclude with Beethoven’s 6th Symphony “Pastoral,” a piece reflecting the composer’s love of nature that is “more the expression of feeling than painting.” Thursday Scholarship Performance

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This is a unique opportunity to hear the three newest faculty at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music offer a shared concert. Featuring new assistant professor of cello James Kim, newly appointed assistant professor of saxophone Brandon Quarles, and newly appointed assistant professor of piano Alan Woo, this concert will include a wide range of music that highlights each of their talents and demonstrates their drive for collaboration.

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Romantic music is a stylistic movement in Western music associated with the period of the 19th century that made greater use of longer, more fully defined and more emotionally evocative themes. This program includes Schubert Songs (violin arrangement),  Rachmaninov’s Piano Trio, and Brahms Piano Quartet. Featuring Levon Ambartsumian, violin; Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva, viola; James Kim, cello; and Evgeny Rivkin, piano.

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Nine HHSOM faculty present an intimate evening of exquisite music sure to satisfy your appetite. Featuring:  Joaquin Turina’s Piano trio #2 op.76, in D minor;  “Table for 3 at Chez Janau,” a  tonal work with jazz elements by living American composer Paul Ferguson; selections from Spohr’s Op. 103 songs; and selections from Lori Laitman’s cycle, “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.” Don’t miss out on a seat for this delicious performance.

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Ten of our powerhouse instrumental faculty launch our Faculty Chamber Ensemble Series. Georgia Brass Quintet features Philip Smith and Brandon Craswell, trumpet; James Naigus, horn; Joshua Bynum, trombone; and Matthew Shipes, tuba/euphonium. Georgia Wind Quintet features Angela Jones-Reus, flute; Reid Messich, oboe; D. Ray McClellan, clarinet; Amy Pollard, bassoon; and Jean Martin-Williams, horn.

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ARCO Chamber Orchestra and the UGA Dance Ensemble, directed Levon Ambartsumian and Lisa Fusillo respectively, collaborate to create an evening highlighting the intricate relationship between music and dance. The program will feature music by Telemann, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Piazzolla, Schnittke, and Khachaturian. Professor of flute Angela Jones-Reus will be a featured soloist. This stunning performance is not to be missed.

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Not since the days of Victor Borge and P.D.Q. Bach has there been such a collision of classical music and side-splitting laughter. Curated by professor of comedy...er...clarinet D. Ray McClellan, this fun-filled evening features faculty and students sharing music that highlights joy and playfulness. Silly situations evocative of a classic “Follies” like variety show promise to unfold. What a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

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