Rhiannon Giddens has made a career out of stretching her brand of folk music into just about every field imaginable. A two-time Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and composer, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, and creator of opera, ballet, and film music, she spotlights contributions to American musical history that have been overlooked or erased. Following her UGA Presents debut with Silkroad Ensemble last season, Giddens returns to Athens with her band to take the audience on a journey through Black American music — from country, to the blues, to swing.

The piano quintet is a powerhouse chamber ensemble, combining the sonic richness of a string quartet with the symphonic aura of grand piano. Inspired by Robert Schumann’s early example, composers from the early Romantic age all the way through the 21st century have contributed significantly to the genre. Russian master Anton Arensky, teacher of Rachmaninov, penned his sole quintet in his mature years, and ever-popular French composer Camille Saint-Saëns began his prolific chamber music career with this early quintet of surprising skill and maturity. Bracing violin duos by virtuosi of the Baroque and Classical eras serve as effervescent preludes.

Come hear from this year's graduating Ph.D. students, Sayantika Mandal and Christina Wood! Sayantika Mandal is a writer, editor, and PhD candidate in English at the University of Georgia, where she serves as the inaugural Arts Lab Graduate Fellow. She holds an MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco, where she was awarded the Jan Zivic Fellowship. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in december, Glassworks, West Trade Review, Indian Literature, The Citron Review, Southern Review of Books, and others. Her essay "Mother Tongue" was listed as Notable in Best American Essays 2025. Her work explores borders, belonging, and the afterlives of history. Christina Wood's short stories appear in The Paris Review, Granta, McSweeney’s, The Sewanee Review, Virgina Quarterly Review and other journals. Her story “The Astronaut” won a Shirley Jackson Award for short fiction and her nonfiction appears in the Los Angeles Review of Books. She earned an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis and studied women's climate fiction and place-focused fiction at UGA. In the past, she worked as the assistant editor of Dorothy. Currently, she's a graduate editor for The Georgia Review and an Editor at Brink Books.

Robert Spano conducts Rachmaninoff, Bernstein, and Theofanidis. The incomparable Stephen Hough, one of the greatest pianists of our time, returns to Athens with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Concerto, a dazzler combining ferocious pianism with Hollywood lyricism. ASO Music Director Laureate Robert Spano also makes a welcome return and shines a spotlight on the ASO brass in Leonard Bernstein’s tumultuous Jeremiah Symphony. Based on the Biblical prophet, this modern masterpiece also features the Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor.

The Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, Hugh Hodgson School of Music, and University of Georgia Performing Arts Center welcome the renowned conductor and pianist Robert Spano to UGA as the Willson Center’s annual Delta Visiting Chair for Global Understanding. Spano is music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Laureate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which he led for 20 years. Beginning in the 2025-26 season, he is also music director of the Washington National Opera. Maestro Spano’s post-concert talk will focus on the Atlanta School of Composers, a group including Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Theofanidis, Osvaldo Golijov, Michael Gandolfi, and Adam Schoenberg, whose works Spano helped to commission and premiere throughout his tenure with the Atlanta Symphony. He will reflect on his cultivation of this important collection of 21st-century orchestral music, and share audio examples from performances. Free admission, tickets not required. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performance is a separate, ticketed event. Learn more here.

Delta Visiting Chair for Global Understanding The Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, Hugh Hodgson School of Music, and University of Georgia Performing Arts Center welcome the renowned conductor and pianist Robert Spano to UGA as the Willson Center’s annual Delta Visiting Chair for Global Understanding. Spano is music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Laureate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which he led for 20 years. Beginning in the 2025-26 season, he is also music director of the Washington National Opera. Maestro Spano’s post-concert talk will focus on the Atlanta School of Composers, a group including Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Theofanidis, Osvaldo Golijov, Michael Gandolfi, and Adam Schoenberg, whose works Spano helped to commission and premiere throughout his tenure with the Atlanta Symphony. He will reflect on his cultivation of this important collection of 21st-century orchestral music, and share audio examples from performances. Free admission, tickets not required. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performance is a separate, ticketed event. Learn more here. Part of the season-long UGA Presents DIALOGUES series.

Even among the pantheon of music’s finest, Del McCoury stands alone. From the nascent sound of bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honky-tonks, rural schoolhouse stages, and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry, to the present day’s digital revolution, Del is the living link. Now helming the Del McCoury Band, with sons Ronnie and Rob, he stands as a torchbearer for the entire sweep and scope of bluegrass history. In his sixth decade onstage, he continues to endear himself to a whole new generation of fans. One listen and it’s crystal clear why: There’s only one Del.

The Sunflower Concert Series at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia invites the community to enjoy live music amidst the beauty of the garden. Held in the picturesque Flower Garden, these concerts provide an unforgettable experience. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnic dinners to savor while enjoying the music. Each ticket includes snacks and beverages. This year, concerts will feature one band with no opening act. In case of inclement weather, concerts will be relocated to the Visitor Center and Conservatory. Season passes, which include tickets to all four concerts, are $80 for adults and $40 for children ages 5-16. Ticket prices for single concerts are $24 for adults and $12 for children ages 5-16. Children under 5 are admitted free of charge. Adult tickets purchased at the gate will be $26. Friends of the Garden Members receive a 10% discount. All ticket prices are subject to additional fees. A mix of classic Motown sound, part 1970’s funk and disco flavor, with a dash of old-school and contemporary R&B, The Original Splitz Band guarantees a good time! Known for their high-energy performances, they mix classic acts including The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

The Sunflower Concert Series at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia invites the community to enjoy live music amidst the beauty of the garden. Held in the picturesque Flower Garden, these concerts provide an unforgettable experience. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnic dinners to savor while enjoying the music. Each ticket includes snacks and beverages. This year, concerts will feature one band with no opening act. In case of inclement weather, concerts will be relocated to the Visitor Center and Conservatory. Season passes, which include tickets to all four concerts, are $80 for adults and $40 for children ages 5-16. Ticket prices for single concerts are $24 for adults and $12 for children ages 5-16. Children under 5 are admitted free of charge. Adult tickets purchased at the gate will be $26. Friends of the Garden Members receive a 10% discount. Tickets sold at the gate must be purchased with a card; cash will not be accepted. All ticket prices are subject to additional fees. Since 2002, Abbey Road LIVE! has been rocking the music of the Beatles. Initially a tribute to the “Abbey Road” album, the band has expanded its scope to include nearly 150 Beatles tunes from all eras of the Fab Four’s career. The band specializes in complete, start-to-finish album performances of masterpieces such as “Abbey Road,” “Magical Mystery Tour,” “Rubber Soul,” “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band.”