UGA British Brass Band travels to ‘Worlds Unknown’ in spring concert

The UGA British Brass Band will play their annual spring concert in Hodgson Concert Hall on Thursday, April 6, at 8 p.m.

This is the first performance back in Athens for the musicians of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s newest brass-and-percussion ensemble, following their First Section, third-place finish at the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) Championships.

The band will perform their NABBA program which will include Peter Graham’s “Voyage to Worlds Unknown.” “Voyage” details the story of the composer’s grandfather journeying from Glasgow to West Virginia in 1923.

“As Europe struggled to recover from the aftermath of the war to end all wars a generation of young immigrants looked to the USA for the opportunity of improved prospects and a better life,” wrote Graham. “’Voyage to Worlds Unknown’ seeks to capture the mixture of emotions of this epic sea journey and as such is unashamedly programmatic in character.”

“Voyage” chronicles that trip in detail: the awe inspired by first sight of the ship, a harrowing storm in the Atlantic, the majesty of the Statue of Liberty, and all in between.

D.M.A. Conducting student Claudine Gamache will also conduct an orchestral brass ensemble in pieces representing a variety of styles and time periods, from Bach to Shostakovich to Cole Porter.

This performance is presented admission-free, and 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, and to learn more about the School of Music, go to music.uga.edu.