Hodgson Singers’ fall concert to feature baroque, bluegrass, 21st century music

The UGA Hodgson Singers’ fall concert will employ a variety of styles to showcase the abilities of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s premier choral ensemble in Hodgson Concert Hall on Friday, November 11, at 8 p.m.

“I’m really excited about the concert,” said Dan Bara, director of the Hodgson Singers. “The choir is sounding excellent this year.”

 

The program will open with a set of four Latin motets on nativity and holy week themes from the baroque and 21st centuries.  

“These works were written by composers from the US, Lithuania, Czech Republic and Germany and feature an interesting diversity of styles and textures,” said Bara.

 

The second half of the program celebrates American music and features a staple in the choral repertoire, Samuel Barber’s “Reincarnations,” a triptych set to the poetry of James Stephens, whose subjects come from Irish poetry and history.  

A recent work by Jake Runestad follows—“The Peace of Wild Things,” for chorus and piano— before the program turns to a set of folk tunes, hymns, arrangements and even two pieces from Timothy Powell’s new bluegrass set “Dear Appalachia,” that will feature the UGA Bluegrass Band.  

The concert will close with a new double choir spiritual arrangement by Stacey Gibbs entitled “Soon I Will Be Done,” which Bara describes as “virtuosic.”

 

“The program is designed to appeal to audiences of all musical interests and tastes, and will show the UGA Hodgson Singers’ great technical and stylistic range,” said Bara.

Tickets to the concert are $12 each or $6 with a UGA student ID and can be purchased at pac.uga.edu or the PAC box office. Those unable to attend can watch the concert live on the Hodgson School’s website: music.uga.edu/streaming.

This concert is presented as part of the University of Georgia’s Spotlight on the Arts festival, celebrating the arts at the University with a two-week schedule of events all across campus. Details can be found on the UGA Arts Council’s website, arts.uga.edu.

The UGA 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.