Allegro molto – Vivo – Allegro non troppo e maestoso
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
PROGRAM NOTES
Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune (10’)
three flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, small antique cymbals, two harps, and strings
When Claude Debussy was in his twenties, Paris was alive with artistic experimentation. Around 1887, he began attending the famous Tuesday evening gatherings hosted by the Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé. These salons brought together some of the most exciting creative minds of the time, artists like Auguste Rodin and Claude Monet, and writers including Paul Verlaine, Paul Valéry, André Gide, and Marcel Proust. In this atmosphere, art was shifting away from strict forms and clear outlines toward suggestion, atmosphere, and color. Debussy absorbed these ideas deeply, and they would shape the sound of his music.
One work in particular captured his imagination: Mallarmé’s poem L’Après-midi d’un faune (“The Afternoon of a Faun”), written in 1876. The poem is a dreamy monologue spoken by a faun, a half-man, half-goat figure from classical mythology. On a warm afternoon, the faun awakens from a nap and tries to recall whether he truly encountered two nymphs or merely dreamed them. As the heat intensifies, memory and fantasy blur together, and the faun drifts back into sleep, still longing for the elusive figures.
Mallarmé believed that art should suggest rather than plainly state. His poem shimmers with ambiguity, sensual, intellectual, and musical all at once. Debussy responded not by trying to narrate the story directly, but by capturing its atmosphere. Composed between 1892 and 1894, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun is less a retelling than an evocation: a series of impressions that mirror the faun’s shifting desires and half-formed memories.
The piece opens with one of the most famous flute solos in orchestral music. Floating and slightly off balance, it seems to rise out of nowhere. Soft horns and harp respond, and the harmony moves in unexpected directions, avoiding firm tonal anchors. The effect is dreamlike, music that feels suspended in warm air. As themes pass through different instruments, the orchestra becomes a palette of color: shimmering strings, delicate woodwinds, and glowing harp textures create an atmosphere more than a traditional structure.
Gradually, the music swells to a gentle climax before relaxing once more. In the final moments, solo lines intertwine over hushed strings and harp, fading away with a sense of mystery, as though the afternoon itself is dissolving into sleep.
When the piece premiered in Paris on December 22, 1894, it caused a sensation. Nearly everything about it, its fluid form, its subtle rhythms, its focus on color and mood, broke with 19th-century expectations. Rather than dramatic contrasts and clear-cut themes, Debussy offered something atmospheric and suggestive. The result was revolutionary. As the composer and conductor Pierre Boulez later remarked, “The flute of Debussy’s Faune breathed new air into the art of music.”
Symphony No. 102, B-flat Major (21’)
two flutes, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, strings
Haydn wrote his Symphony No. 102 in 1794 during his second, highly successful visit to London. By this point, he was an international celebrity, and London audiences couldn’t get enough of him. Many musicians consider this symphony one of the most exciting and masterful of his late works, full of energy, invention, and Haydn’s signature wit, yet it’s performed less often than some of its neighbors. One possible reason is surprisingly simple: it doesn’t have a nickname. The symphonies around it are known as the “Military,” “Clock,” “Drum Roll,” and “London.” Those titles stick in the memory. No. 102, by contrast, is known only by its number. Ironically, it may once have earned the best nickname of all. At its premiere, a large chandelier reportedly fell from the ceiling during the finale. Thankfully, the audience had crowded toward the front to watch Haydn more closely, leaving the center of the hall empty, so no one was hurt. Over time, the story was mistakenly attached to another symphony, No. 96, which is now called the “Miracle.” Symphony No. 102 lost the dramatic title, but it certainly didn’t lose its brilliance.
From its very first measures, Symphony No. 102 draws us in. Haydn opens with a lyrical slow introduction that moves between calm, almost prayerful serenity and moments of tender, aching chromatic harmony. Just as the mood seems to settle, the music melts into a delicate flourish in the flute, and suddenly the lively Vivace bursts onto the scene. What follows is a kind of musical roller coaster. Haydn delights in playing with our expectations. Just when it feels as though the music has safely arrived at a firm resting point, everything comes to a dramatic halt, a long, emphatic note that seems to stop the orchestra in its tracks. Then, with a mischievous twist, Haydn pulls the music back into motion. In the middle of the movement, he breaks his themes into tiny fragments, tossing them between instruments in energetic, almost chaotic counterpoint before skillfully rebuilding them. Even when the main theme returns, it is not quite what we expect: it appears in the “wrong” key, sending us through another surge of tension before the true homecoming finally arrives.
The slow movement offers a striking contrast. Adapted from an earlier piano trio, it unfolds like a dream. A beautifully ornamented melody sings above a gently flowing accompaniment, with the cello weaving an especially expressive line beneath it. Yet even in this serene landscape, there is a subtle edge: soft pulses from the timpani add a quiet tension, reminding us that this is no simple idyll.
The Menuet that follows has its usual elegance, but it is the Trio section that lingers in the ear. More relaxed and slightly shadowed by chromatic turns of phrase, it offers a graceful and intimate pause before the final burst of energy.
The finale begins with playful wit, but it quickly gathers unstoppable momentum. The music churns with joyful drive, occasionally brushing up against bold dissonances that feel strikingly forward-looking. It is easy to hear in these passages a hint of the energy that would later animate Beethoven’s symphonies.
PROGRAM NOTES
Scheherazade (44’)
piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, tambourine, and triangle), harp, strings, and solo violin
In 1888, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov turned to one of the most famous story collections in the world, The Thousand and One Nights, for inspiration. From these vivid tales of adventure, romance, and magic, he created his orchestral suite Scheherazade, music filled with color, drama, and imagination.
At the heart of the original stories is the Sultan Shahriar. Betrayed by his wife, he becomes convinced that all women are unfaithful. In his bitterness, he marries a new bride each evening and orders her execution the next morning. This grim cycle continues until Scheherazade, the clever and courageous daughter of the Grand Vizier, volunteers to become his next bride.
Scheherazade devises a daring plan. On their wedding night, she begins telling the Sultan a captivating story, but at dawn, she leaves it unfinished. Eager to hear how it ends, the Sultan postpones her execution. The next night she resumes the tale, only to begin another before morning comes. For one thousand and one nights, she spins story after story, each more enchanting than the last. Over time, the Sultan’s anger softens. He falls in love with her, abandons his cruel vow, and allows her to live.
Rimsky-Korsakov did not attempt to retell any single story in detail. In his memoir My Musical Life, he explained that the movement titles were meant only as gentle suggestions. He wanted listeners to experience the piece as a sweeping “Eastern narrative,” a tapestry of wonder and fantasy, rather than four separate movements. The name Scheherazade evokes an entire world, mystery, adventure, and the magic of storytelling itself.
Each movement suggests a different episode. “The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship” carries us across rolling waves, with shimmering strings rising and falling like the ocean itself. The music shifts between grandeur and danger, capturing both the thrill and uncertainty of the voyage. “The Story of the Kalendar Prince” turns darker and more dramatic, with restless rhythms and exotic colors that hint at mystery and peril, before Scheherazade’s violin gently restores calm. In “The Young Prince and the Young Princess,” the mood softens into a tender love story, expressed through a lilting, lyrical melody that glows warmly in the orchestra. The finale, “The Festival at Baghdad; The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock,” bursts with energy: bustling celebration gives way to surging seas and a vivid musical storm.
From the very beginning, the music introduces two central ideas. The Sultan appears in stern, commanding tones from the low brass and woodwinds, supported by the strings, powerful and unyielding. In contrast, Scheherazade is represented by the solo violin, whose winding, sensuous melody seems to shimmer and improvise, like a storyteller spinning her tale in real time.
PROGRAM NOTES
Throughout the suite, these two musical characters return again and again, reminding us that every adventure we hear unfolds within Scheherazade’s imagination. The four movements suggest episodes of the sea, princely adventures, and festive celebrations. The orchestra sparkles with brilliant colors, from sweeping string passages to glittering percussion. Rimsky-Korsakov, a master of orchestration, uses the full palette of the orchestra to create a world of shipwrecks, exotic markets, and magical journeys.
Yet the work does not end with drama or catastrophe. Instead, after the final surge of excitement, the music grows quiet. The solo violin returns one last time, gentle and luminous, Scheherazade herself, still alive, still enchanting. The Sultan’s oncethreatening theme softens, and the suite closes in peace. One senses that she has many more stories to tell, and that the spell she cast will linger long after the final note fades.
VIOLIN I
Alexis Boylan, co-concertmaster
Jhonni Campos, co-concertmaster
Zeyu Yuan
Jocelyne Andronache-Opris
Sarah Nienhiser
Andre Araujo de Souza
Karla Mejias
Ori Kang
Zhije Xu
Sageiana Codispoti
Haohan Yang
Ruhua Zhang
VIOLIN II
Simms Murray, principal
Ellis Kim
Mei Takuno
Abigail Kim
Adelmo Gimenez
Briana Darden
Edric Nduwimana
Ahziri Moreno-Martinez
Kiera Johnson
Rea Aiyer
Leo Jahn
Chloe James
Mark Cedel, Conductor
Nicholas Han, Assistant Conductor
VIOLA
Rachel Liu, co-principal
Jensi Perng, co-principal
Devin Bennett
Mason Minutella
Vic Jeon
Daniel Boscan
Jodie Stone
Ashley Belcher
Clinton Stempien
Caleb Paradis
Marissa Evans
Zeb Tate
Danielle Chun
Benedict Nguyen
Dorothy Park
Lily White
CELLO
Mary Allison Swaim, principal
Tianbo Zhang, associate principal
Thomas LaMon, assistant principal
Ryan Dater
Katherine Lamback
Tristan Dempsey
Ian Koontz
Kate Selby
David Zoblisein
Benjamin Hackworth
BASS
Austin Carter, principal
Antonio Peirano
Ricardo Karelisky
Madeline Bower
Peyton Lightcap
Felipe Schutz
FLUTE
Emily Elmore, principal
Blair Carrier
Alexia Toma
OBOE
Marissa Ankeny
Amanda Withrow
Emma Walters
Triston Fieldong
CLARINET
Ryan Hanling, principal
Eleanor Love
BASSOON
JT Holdbrooks, principal
Jazmyn Barajas-Trujillo
Caleb Jackson
HORN
Josh Wood, principal
Ava DeFilippo
Jonah Hammett
Patrick Malone
Ian Welch
TRUMPET
Toby Johnson, principal
Will Cuneo
Antonio Urias
Jack Rozza
TROMBONE
Jose Vasquez, principal
Ian Wolff
Victor Guevara, bass
TUBA
Jack Gordon
PERCUSSION
Carrington Lauck, principal
Henry Campbell
Angelina Vasquez
Grayson Pruitt
HARP
Isabel Hardy
Dania Lane
LIBRARIAN
Alexis Boylan
PERSONNEL MANAGER
Thomas LaMon
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Ricardo Karelisky
Now in his 32nd year at UGA, Mark Cedel brings a wealth of professional experience to his position as Director of Orchestral Activities. Prior to his appointment at UGA, he was Associate Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. In his four seasons with that orchestra, he conducted over 200 performances; appearing on every series offered by the orchestra. Before joining the Charlotte Symphony, Cedel was Principal Viola and Assistant Conductor of the Charleston (SC) Symphony Orchestra for nine years. While in Charleston, he served for two seasons as that orchestra’s Acting Music Director. From 1986-1990, he was a member of the artist faculty at the Brevard Music Center and was principal conductor of the Brevard Repertory Training Program.
In addition to directing orchestral activities at UGA, Cedel served as professor of viola from 19942002. During that period he performed, toured, and recorded regularly as extra/substitue viola with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, including its northeast tour with concerts in Carnegie Hall. He returned to teaching viola for the 2009-2010 academic year, while a search was conducted to fill the position.
Cedel has been associated with many orchestras in the southeast. This includes Principal Viola of the South Carolina Chamber Orchestra and the Guest Principal Viola of the Savannah Symphony, and orchestras in Augusta, Macon, and Jacksonville. He has performed with many distinguished conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Eugene Ormancy, and Carlo Maria Giulini.
Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Nicholas Han made his conducting debut with The Music & More SummerFest Music Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He earned his Undergraduate degree in Violin Performance at Central Washington University in 2020, and his Masters in Orchestral Conducting at Oklahoma State University in 2023. In 2022, he obtained the position as assistant conductor for the Oklahoma Chamber Symphony and was the Apprentice Conductor for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic in May 2023. He is currently pursuing his Doctoral of Music Arts degree at University of Georgia Athens. Nicholas also held a position as Cover Conductor for the Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra from Fall 2023 to Spring 2025. His recent conducting engagements include guest conducting LA Conducting Workshop and Competition Orchestra and Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra.
Nicholas, over the summer of 2022, was selected as one of 3 winners for the ICWC (International Conducting Workshop and Competition) Competition in Atlanta, Georgia. He was also selected as a 1st place winner and received the Audience Prize in the LA Conducting Workshop and Competition in Garden Grove, California. Nicholas will participate as a Conducting Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival in the summer of 2026, studying with renowned conductors such as Robert Spano, Jane Glover, Leonard Slatkin, and Mark Stringer. His principal mentors include Nikolas Caoile, Thomas Dickey, Alexander Mickelthwate, and Mark Cedel.
HUGH HODGSON SCHOOL OF MUSIC FACULTY
Daniel Bara, Interim Director
Brandon Craswell, Associate Director, Director of Undergraduate Studies
Emily Gertsch, Associate Director, Director of Graduate Studies
Amy Pollard, Associate Director, Director of Performance Activities
percussion percussion voice voice voice voice voice voice organ piano piano piano piano piano piano piano
piano
violin violin guitar
harp
violin cello
Suziki
double bass
viola
BANDS
Mia Athanas
Brett Bawcum
Jack A. Eaddy, Jr.
*Nicholas Enrico Williams
CHORAL
Daniel Bara
Colin Mann
Daniel Shafer
COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL
SUMMER CAMPS
Stephen Fischer
COMPOSITION & THEORY
Tyler Beckett
Adrian Childs
Emily Gertsch
Daniel Karcher
*Emily Koh
Peter Lane
Dickie Lee
Jared Tubbs
Trinity Vélez-Justo
JAZZ STUDIES
David D’Angelo
Gregory Satterthwaite
James Weidman
MUSIC EDUCATION
*Rebecca Atkins
Alison Farley
Tyler Goehring
Roy Legette
Kristen Lynch
Michael Robinson
Johanna Royo
Brian Wesolowski
Susan McClure, Administrative Assistant to the Director
Director of Public Relations
Development Associate Music Library Manager
Undergraduate Academic Advisor
Piano Technician
Senior Piano Technician
Marcus Morris
Kathleen Powell
Rocky Raffle
James Sewell
Jared Tubbs
Marshall Williams
MUSIC THERAPY
*Ellyn Evans
Sally Ann Nichols
Jenny Stull
MUSICOLOGY & ETHNOMUSICOLOGY
Karen Bergmann
Naomi Graber
*David Haas
Jared Holton
Jean Kidula
Sarah Pickett
Rumya Putcha
Joanna Smolko
OPERA
Daniel Ellis
Andrew Voelker
ORCHESTRA
Mark Cedel
RECORDING & STREAMING
Eric Dluzniewski
Paul Griffith
*Area Chair
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Graduate Program Administrator
Administrative Associate in Bands
Production & Events Manager
Sectioning Officer
Director of Admissions
HUGH HODGSON SCHOOL OF MUSIC STAFF
SUPPORT THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC
HOW TO GIVE
Under each of the available funds below is a QR code where you can scan and donate directly to that fund. However, if you would like to learn more about alternative ways to donate, scan the QR code now to visit our “How to Give” page with additional details and options.
Scholarships and Graduate assistantships funded by donations to the Thursday Scholarship Fund make it possible for students to learn and pursue their passions at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Please consider a taxdeductible gift to the Thursday Scholarship Fund so we may continue to support our students and make their education possible. Scan the QR code now or reach out to Melissa Roberts at roberts@uga.edu or 706-254-2111.
AREAS OF THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC
In addition to our primary Support and Scholarship Funds, many specialized areas of interest, including our orchestra and choral programs, have support and scholarship funds you can contribute to directly. You can now learn more about all the ways and areas you can support the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Scan the QR code or visit music.uga.edu/giving-and-alumni to the support the Hugh Hodgson School of Music area of your choice.
JOIN THE DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE
Gifts of all amounts are greatly appreciated. However, annual giving at the $1,500 level and higher provides membership in the Director’s Circle, our Hugh Hodgson School of Music Honor Roll. Director’s Circle members are invited to exclusive events and performances throughout the academic year.
For large gifts, please contact Melissa Roberts at roberts@uga.edu or 706-254-2111.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA HUGH HODGSON SCHOOL OF MUSIC.
JOIN US FOR A FULL SEASON OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS AT UGA
On stage and in the gallery — over 100 performances, exhibitions and lectures await you this season at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Enjoy a dazzling variety of free events plus explore our ticketed seasons in dance, theatre and music starting at just $15. Students, faculty and guests of UGA fine and performing arts offer Athens premier programming all year round.
MON 3/30
7:30 p.m.
Ramsey Concert Hall
FREE CONCERT
TUES 3/31
4:30 p.m.
Edge Concert Hall
FREE CONCERT
TUES 3/31
5:30 p.m.
Ramsey Concert Hall
FREE CONCERT
ImaginePossibilities the
AFRICAN MUSIC ENSEMBLE
The African Music Ensemble is an opportunity for students to discover and explore musical history, instrumentation, and expression that is rooted in African cultures and traditions. The ensemble is under the direction of UGA Professor of Ethnomusicology Jean Kidula
ITALIAN
EXCHANGE STUDENT RECITAL
Edge Concert Hall is located on the third floor of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 230 River Road, Athens, GA
“NIGHT AT THE MOVIES”
UGA TROMBONE CHOIR
FT. JAMES NOVA OF THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY
This concert will feature Nova’s arrangements of music by John Williams, Danny Elfman, and Michael Giacchino.
James Nova joined the Grammy award winning Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 2009 as its Second/Utility Trombone. In 2012, Jim made his solo debut with the PSO, performing the Tomasi Trombone concerto.
TUES 9/9
TUES 3/31
WED 4/1
7:30 p.m.
7 p.m.
UGA State Botanical Garden
$25
Additional fees for online purchases may apply.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
OPERA THEATRE: MANSFIELD PARK
This April, Jane Austen’s world bursts into life with “Mansfield Park”, Jonathan Dove’s witty, romantic chamber opera. In celebration of Austen’s 250th birthday, we have partnered with the State Botanical Garden of Georgia to present this event under the open sky in their beautiful flower garden.
Follow the quietly brilliant Fanny Price as she navigates a tangle of romance, loyalty and mischief in this sparkling adaptation of Austen’s beloved novel. With Dove’s elegant four-hand piano score, an immersive, site-specific experience and the golden glow of a spring sunset, this will be Austen as you’ve never heard—or seen—before.
Don’t miss this enchanting springtime journey—where music and nature intersect!
Don’t forget to order your boxed dinner at checkout to enjoy a picnic before the show! Dinners will be available for pickup at 6 p.m. in the Visitor Center. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to the performance.
