Down the Rabbit Hole is a one act opera that retells the story of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland. The performers, all undergraduate voice students at the University of Georgia, will bring to life such familiar characters as the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, and many others as they sing their way through Alice’s story. The performance will be about one hour long and is perfect for both the young and the young at heart. 

Ramsey Hall on UGA’s campus at 5:30pm. All performances will be free to the public. Created by Abigail Head, a doctoral student in vocal performance at UGA, with the help of Bryan Wysocki, DMA student in composition, and Julien Berger, fourth year composition student, this musical experience aims to introduce audiences to opera as an art form through the use of familiar stories and fun rhythms and melodies. 

What to Expect: • A Fun Retelling of a Familiar Story • About 1 hour of Music • Opportunity to ask questions and interact with performers.

Creator Bios: Abigail Head, a soprano from Roanoke, Virginia, received her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Samford University in 2016 and her master’s degree in vocal performance and pedagogy from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in 2020. Abigail is currently working on a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Georgia. During her time at UGA, Abigail has performed in opera scenes programs, both as a performer and a director, as well as performing the role of Despina in UGA Opera Theatre’s production of Cosi Fan Tutte. Down the Rabbit Hole is part of Abigail’s dissertation project for her doctoral degree. In all her work, Abigail keeps Bach’s signature in mind: Soli Deo Gloria. 

Julien Berger is a composer and saxophonist originally from the Washington, D.C. area. He currently resides in Athens, Georgia, and is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance and Composition with Drs. Connie Frigo, Brandon Quarles (saxophone), Peter Lane, Emily Koh, and Adrian Childs (composition). His music on both the saxophone and on paper is emotional and programmatic, providing the audience a unique glimpse into his artistic vision. 

Bryan Wysocki (b. 1995) is a Maryland-born, Atlanta-based interdisciplinary musical artist who is interested in exploring the blurry relationships between time, memory, and perception in the music of today. He started his musical journey as a percussionist, primarily interested in drum set and the marching arts. From there, he became interested in the worlds of jazz, north Indian classical music, and contemporary percussion literature. Bryan is currently a doctoral student in music composition at the University of Georgia, where he is a Graduate Research Assistantship with the Ideas for Creative Exploration, an interdisciplinary arts research catalyst based in the Lamar Dodd School of Art. He holds a Master of Music in Percussion Performance and a Masters of Music in Composition from Georgia State University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Music Composition from Hofstra University. His percussion teachers include Stuart Gerber, Sean Ritenauer, and Montgomery Hatch. His composition teachers include Emily Koh, Peter Van Zandt Lane, Nickitas Demos, and Herbert Deutsch. 

The Triptych Trio is comprised of faculty from the University of Texas at Austin including Patrick Hughes - horn, Charles Villarrubia - tuba, and Patti Wolf - piano. They will present a program on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Edge Hall consisting of works by Kulesha, Santos, Wilder, Price, and Ferguson. This is a free performance and will be live streamed.

On Monday, Oct. 10, the UGA Trombone Studio is excited to host Dr. Matthew Driscoll for a masterclass and solo recital. Dr. Driscoll is currently the Instructor of Trombone at East Carolina University. His program features a wonderful selection of works for trombone and piano. Of particular interest is the stunning and evocative opening selection A Caged Bird by Barbara York. The program also includes the wonderful Jazz Moods by Canadian composer Elizabeth Raum, and a four movement tour de force by ECU alum composer Terry Mizesko. This is a free concert. We hope you can join us or watch via live streaming!

The UGA British Brass Band Fall Festival returns this coming Friday at 7:30 pm in Hodgson Concert Hall.  It promises to be an evening of exciting music making, featuring Andrew Blair conducting the World Premiere of his Novum,written expressly for the UGABBB. 



Two other new compositions for brass band will be featured; Andrew Wainwrights Illuminate and Peter Graham's To Boldly Go, both composed in 2015, and both full of energy and beautiful lyricism.  Remembering the 100^thbirthday of Ray Steadman-Allen, the band will perform his beautiful In Quiet Pastures.  Mr. James Curnow, a wonderful composer and friend, will be here to make a presentation from the American Bandmasters Association to Bandmaster Philip Smith, as well as conduct his scintillating march Faith is the Victory.  Come and hear a terrific brass band in person! For those who can't attend, the concert will be live streamed.

Join the UGA Wind Ensemble on Tuesday, Oct. 11, for "A Night at the Movies with John Williams”—celebrating the 90th birthday of the legendary American composer. Featuring beloved themes and some lesser-known works, this repertoire represents the highest level of wind band transcription.



Performing with the ensemble are two faculty collaborators: Clarinetist D. Ray McClellan plays The Tale of Viktor Navorski from the 2004 movie The Terminal; Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva is the violin soloist for the haunting theme from Schindler’s List.



Conductors Jaclyn Hartenberger and Shiree X. Williams lead the 7:30 p.m. concert, held in UGA Performing Arts Center’s Hodgson Hall. General admission tickets are available at www.pac.uga.edu, with student discounts and free tickets available to HHSOM students with an all-events pass.

The program will also be live-streamed: http://www.music.uga.edu/live-streaming.

An evening of cello music will be presented by David Starkweather, professor of cello at UGA for four decades, appearing with faculty collaborative pianist Damon Denton.  The program will include favorite masterworks of Bach, Brahms, and Debussy, as well as several etudes and caprices of special interest to Dr. Starkweather's cello students.  Starkweather and Denton have collaborated on numerous past occasions, and this promises to be a lovely performance.

For tickets: https://pac.uga.edu/event/david-starkweather-cello/

Shaun brings over twenty years of public relations and graphic design experience to his role as Director of Public Relations for the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. He served as Marketing Coordinator for the Sabes Jewish Community Center in Minneapolis, MN where he received an Award for Excellence in Communications from the JCC Association of North America.

Singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and Athens favorite Kishi Bashi has carved out a unique place for himself in America’s diverse sonic landscape. With a musical vocabulary drawing from indie pop, rock, beatboxing, vocal looping, and even classical violin, he defies easy categorization yet has achieved international appeal. 

Singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and Athens favorite Kishi Bashi has carved out a unique place for himself in America’s diverse sonic landscape. With a musical vocabulary drawing from indie pop, rock, beatboxing, vocal looping, and even classical violin, he defies easy categorization yet has achieved international appeal. 

Following its recent premiere with the St. Louis Symphony, his new orchestral show comes to Hodgson Concert Hall Thurs., Oct. 6 for an unforgettable night of music featuring songs from his catalogue and selections from EO9066, his powerful work about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The concert, featuring the UGA Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Mark Cedel, is a coproduction of UGA Presents and the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 

Kishi Bashi is the pseudonym for violin virtuoso K Ishibashi. Kishi Bashi released his first full-length album 151a via Joyful Noise in 2012, which received high praise and the title of NPR's Best New Artist of The Year. Omoiyari is Kishi Bashi’s fourth album, and his most important yet. Many of the songs were initially inspired by history and oppression, and he deftly weaves tales of love, loss, and wanting to connect listeners to the past. Omoiyari is an uncompromising musical statement on the turbulent sociopolitical atmosphere of present-day America, lauded by NPR for its “profound empathy” and the New York Times for its “hand played yet exquisitely polished” qualities.

Over the last several years, K has traveled frequently to Montana and Wyoming to work on a “song film” version of Omoiyari about Japanese internment. It has been an emotional and creatively potent experience for him to spend time in the American West, speaking with internment camp incarcerees and descendants. Considering his own bicultural identity as the child of Japanese immigrants has come to influence Kishi Bashi’s approach to songwriting. 

Kishi Bashi’s performance is part of a UGA Presents slate of roots and indie concerts.

The concert on Tuesday, Oct.