Hodgson Wind Ensemble welcomes multiple guests for year-end performance

The Hodgson Wind Ensemble (HWE) welcomes guests from as near as the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and as far as Moscow for their final concert of 2016 in Hodgson Concert Hall on Tuesday, November 15, at 8 p.m.

The Hodgson School’s premier wind ensemble will feature Pulitzer Prize winner Melinda Wagner, professor of tuba and euphonium David Zerkel and internationally-renowned Russian conductor and composer Lieutenant General Valery Khalilov.

Wagner, who is currently composer-in-residence at the School of Music, will be in attendance as the ensemble performs her work, “Scamp,” which HWE director Cynthia Johnston Turner says is “a piece that is as exactly as it sounds: fun, wacky, devilish.”

Michael Daugherty’s “Reflections on the Mississippi” brings Zerkel on stage with the ensemble. Daugherty is one of this generation’s most sought-after and performed composers, according to Johnston Turner, who is not reserved in her excitement about this piece.

“This is an awesome piece,” said Johnston Turner. “How many tuba concertos do you know about? It’s beautiful, funky, and a little rock-and-roll. And, of course, Dave sounds incredible.”

As part of a visit to Athens, Khalilov will conduct HWE through several of his own works. Khalilov is internationally recognized as Russia’s most distinguished military band and orchestra conductor. He holds the title of Honored Artist of Russia and has conducted performances across the world.

HWE has made a trend of engaging its audience in new and exciting ways, from instituting “Tweet Seats” that encourage lively, real-time discussion online during the concert to surprise appearances from the Redcoat Band, and this concert promises to be no different. Johnston Turner is light on details, but says there will be “lots of fun and lots of surprises.”

Attendees will once again have an option to donate items to a charity in place of admission. Previous concerts brought in food donations to give to the UGA Student Food Pantry, and this time the ensemble is asking that patrons bring toy donations as the holiday season approaches.

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.

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.