Violinist Michael Heald Evokes Fondness for English Countryside in Faculty Artist Series

Associate Professor of Violin at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music Michael Heald will take the Ramsey Concert Hall stage on Tuesday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. for the next concert in the Faculty Artist Series at The University of Georgia.

Heald’s performance career began in England where he was a member of the English String Orchestra for three years, recording with Nimbus. Among numerous other tours and accolades, Heald has performed many solo and chamber concerts with critical acclaim across the United States and Europe, collaborating with many great artists, including Heald’s guest artist for the performance.

Joining Heald will be esteemed guest pianist Timothy Lovelace. “It’s always wonderful to play music with someone [who has] an effortless sense of ensemble,” says Heald. “I feel very fortunate to be able [to] continue to play with such a great friend.”  Lovelace, a pianist and conductor, holds the  Ethel Alice Hitchcock Chair in  Collaborative Piano and Coaching at the University of Minnesota and has performed on four continents and has been featured at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, New York’s Merkin Concert Hall, among others. He will join Heald throughout the program on pieces by Schubert, Walton, and Prokofiev.

The piece that will be evoking the English countryside for Heald, and hopefully those audience members that have experienced it as well, is “Sonata for Violin and Piano” by Englishman William Walton. “Walton’s music is very individual and clearly [has] a certain style.

There is a strong jazz influence, and the piece has a sense of drama. “And through it all, the feeling of England and its character and countryside is very clear.”

Tickets to the concert are $12 for adults and $6 for students and children. They can be purchased online at pac.uga.edu/event/michael-heald-violin, by calling 706-542-4400, or in person at the Performing Arts Center Box Office located next door to the music school. Those unable to attend can watch the concert live on the Hodgson School’s website: music.uga.edu/live-streaming.

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia sponsors more than 350 performances each year. Go to music.uga.edu to view the school’s performance calendar and subscribe to the weekly email newsletter to learn more about the School of Music.

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Writer: Camille Hayes, ceh822@uga.edu

Contact: Michael Heald, mheald@uga.edu