Sullivan Fortner, piano Kristiina Poska, conductor Often called “the great American opera,” Porgy and Bess has shaped American culture since 1935, inspiring artists from Maya Angelou to Miles Davis and Janis Joplin to Sublime. With George Gershwin’s unmistakable gift for melody, its music—alongside the iconic Rhapsody in Blue—blends jazz and classical styles to capture the vibrant spirit of two iconic American cities with deep musical heritage, Charleston and New York. Before intermission, the orchestra surges into Carl Nielsen’s powerful Fourth Symphony, “The Inextinguishable.” The program marks the orchestra’s debut performances with Estonian conductor Kristiina Poska and jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner. NIELSEN: Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable” GERSHWIN: Catfish Row: Suite from Porgy and Bess GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue Part of American Panorama: Voices of a Nation at 250. Join the audience for a free pre-performance talk by Patrick Castillo in Ramsey Concert Hall prior to the performance from 6:45-7:15 p.m. Castillo is a writer, composer, and former Vice President of Artistic Planning of the New York Philharmonic.

FRANZ SCHUBERT - Symphony No. 3 PYOTR TCHAIKOVSKY - Symphony No. 5 A night of symphonic contrasts. Both Schubert and Tchaikovsky have their own unique expressive voice. Both works have memorable melodies and exciting virtuosity.

Grammy Award-winning pianist Daniil Trifonov is renowned for his breathtaking virtuosity, poetic sensitivity, and extraordinary range. A commanding soloist, concerto powerhouse, chamber musician, and composer, he appears regularly on the world’s most prestigious stages with leading orchestras, earning widespread acclaim as one of today’s most compelling interpreters of the piano repertoire. In his UGA Presents debut, he performs a dynamic program featuring works by Handel, Stravinsky, Schubert, and Caribbean and South American composers.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus Norman Mackenzie, Director of Choruses A beloved holiday tradition returns. Gather friends and family for a festive evening of Old World charm as the acclaimed Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus perform Part I of Handel’s triumphant Messiah and the iconic “Hallelujah” Chorus, timeless highlights that never fail to inspire. The program also features J.S. Bach’s serene and beautiful cantata “Sheep May Safely Graze,” adding a moment of reflection to this joyful celebration.

Now in its 31st year, Pink Martini is an unstoppable engine of joy that continues to bring founder Thomas Lauderdale’s mission of multi-cultural connection and inclusion to legendary concert stages on six continents. Presenting a mélange of catchy old-fashioned pop, global color, foot-tapping big band sound, and Hollywood glamour, Oregon’s famous “little orchestra” performs music intended to appeal to everyone, regardless of age or background. The band features a dozen musicians sharing songs in over 25 languages and collaborates with a wide variety of gifted singers in performance and across the band’s 10 studio albums. Part of American Panorama: Voices of a Nation at 250.

The soloists performing in this concert are selected after advancing through a rigorous competition process judged by faculty within the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. These winners are selected near the end of the fall semester and are announced in December.

As unique as any other composer, Bruckner’s concept of orchestral colors and sound is reminiscent of the mighty pipe organ, Bruckner’s primary instrument.

The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is one of the world’s greatest chamber orchestras, renowned for its fresh, brilliant interpretations. Through unrivalled live performances and a vast recording output, the Academy has gained an enviable international reputation for its distinctive, polished, and refined sound. Conrad Tao is a pianist and composer celebrated for his boundary-defying artistry as well as his powerful performances of traditional repertoire. Described by New York magazine as “the kind of musician who is shaping the future of classical music,” and praised by The New York Times for his “probing intellect and open-hearted vision,” Tao appears regularly as a soloist with leading orchestras and at major venues across the world. Part of American Panorama: Voices of a Nation at 250. STRAVINSKY: Concerto in E-flat Major, “Dumbarton Oaks” JS BACH (arr Stravinsky): Selection of Preludes and Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier JS BACH: Piano Concerto No. 4 in A Major, BWV 1055 CONRAD TAO: New Work COPLAND: Appalachian Spring Suite

Step into the early 1900s, when electricity dazzles, cars roar to life, airplanes lift off, and vaudeville stars are born. Scott Joplin’s irresistible rhythms steal the spotlight in this lively, one-of-a-kind concert experience in which conductor and pianist Rick Benjamin and his orchestra journey through the nation’s musical roots. Featuring gems by Joplin, Joseph F. Lamb, James Scott, George Botsford, May Aufderheide, and Kerry Mills, this popular slice of Americana brings the music of a bygone era close to home once again. Part of American Panorama: Voices of a Nation at 250. Join the audience for a free pre-performance talk by Rick Benjamin, founder and conductor of the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, in Ramsey Concert Hall prior to the performance from 6:45-7:15 p.m.

Pianist Yuja Wang is celebrated worldwide for her electrifying artistry, emotional depth, and magnetic stage presence. Having collaborated with many of the world’s most esteemed conductors and orchestras, she is revered not only for her breathtaking virtuosity but also for the spontaneity and vitality that define her performances. As she once told The New York Times, “I firmly believe every program should have its own life and be a representation of how I feel at the moment.”

This collection of concerti by Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach features UGA violin students as soloists.

Gustav Mahler, perhaps the greatest symphonist of all time, charms the listener with his “smallest” symphony. The text presents a child’s vision of heaven. This performance features Anne Slovin, soprano.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has risen from its modest beginnings more than forty years ago to global acclaim with its unique mix of offbeat humor and four-string virtuosity. Known as unlikely stars of the international touring scene, “The Ukes” have performed everywhere from Windsor Castle to Carnegie Hall. Today, they continue to delight audiences with energetic, all-singing, all-strumming performances. The band offers up a lively, humorous journey across genres—from classical and pop to punk, funk, disco, bluegrass, and even metal—delivering a fun, foot-stomping musical experience for one and all.

Mozart began composing the Requiem in D Minor, K. 626, in Vienna in 1791 but left the work unfinished when he died that December. Completed by his contemporaries, the piece is widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of the Western cultural tradition. More than 300 student performers will take part in this concert.

With a career spanning almost four decades, Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell CBE is one of the most celebrated artists of our time. He has performed with virtually every major orchestra in the world, and regularly appears as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, conductor, and as the music director of London’s Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Bell has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, named “Instrumentalist of the Year” by Musical America, made an honorary CBE in Britain, selected as a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum, recognized with the Avery Fisher Prize, and honored as an “Indiana Living Legend.”