Programming includes powerful pianists Louis Lortie and Yefim Bronfman, iconic jazz artist Fred Hersch and the versatile Ebѐne Quartet

Spivey Hall approaches the end of its 26th season in April, closing some of its signature series with climactic performances and superstar artists that have marked Spivey as a world-class concert venue.

“We are fortunate to enjoy such a wealth of outstanding pianists in April playing a tremendous variety of music,” said Sam Dixon, executive and artistic director of Spivey Hall. “We also welcome back the Ebѐne Quartet, whose juxtaposition of classical favorites and jazz and crossover selections promises to be a memorable highlight of the season.”

The Strings Series closes with the return of Ebѐne Quartet (April 1), bringing an exuberant mix of classical and jazz to the Spivey stage. The end of the Piano Series brings two powerful performers in April concerts: “ever immaculate, ever imaginative” (the London Times) Louis Lortie (April 2) and Yefim Bronfman (April 29), whose playing the Chicago Tribune described as “blazing power in the big Russian manner, tempered with subtlety and nuance.” Spivey’s Jazz Series culminates with jazz pianist Fred Hersch(April 8) in a solo performance; The Guardian calls him a “traditionalist melodically and rhythmically…but he sounds contemporary because he’s an improviser, and because his heart’s so exuberantly in his work.”

In addition to the series concerts, Spivey Hall patrons can enjoy seven performances from the Clayton State University Department of Visual and Performing Arts Division of Music, featuring some of its most talented artists, including students from CSU’s Music Drama Workshop in two performances of Seymour Barab’s family-friendly opera Little Red Riding Hood (April 21 and 22). With musical styles ranging from jazz to chorale, and many concerts free to the public, music enthusiasts are sure to find a performance to fit any budget and musical interest.

With free parking and close proximity to Atlanta, Spivey Hall’s 392-seat auditorium is the perfect option for an intimate music experience. For full program details for all performances, tickets or more information, call the Spivey Hall Box Office at (678) 466-4200, or visit spiveyhall.org. In addition to the standard ticket pricing indicated for each performance, there is a 50 percent discount available to students and Georgia educators with ID. Discounted tickets are available only through the box office, which is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Ebѐne Quartet

Saturday, April 1, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m.

The quartet known to the rest of the world as Quatuor Ébène breathes new life into chamber music in its anticipated return to Spivey Hall. “A string quartet that can easily morph into a jazz band,” wrote The New York Times after a 2009 performance. The ensemble opened that recital with Debussy and Haydn and then improvised on a film music theme—with equal enthusiasm and passion.

Pierre Colombet (violin), Gabriel Le Magadure (violin), Adrien Boisseau (viola) and Raphaël Merlin (cello) have created their own style, ardently embraced by critics and audiences. With their charismatic playing, their fresh approach to tradition and their open engagement with new forms, the musicians have been successful in reaching a wide audience of young listeners as well as delighting seasoned patrons.

The Quartet will play Mozart’s String Quartet in D minor, K.421 and DeBussy’s String Quartet in G minor, Op.10, as well as a selection of jazz and crossover selections.

Tickets are priced at $60 (with discounts for subscribers, groups, students and Georgia educators), and are available for purchase now. A pre-concert talk given by Clayton State University Music Professor Dr. Kurt-Alexander Zeller begins at 6:30 p.m. and is included in the ticket price.

Ebѐne Quartet’s performance is made possible through the generosity of Spivey Hall Friends Concert Sponsors Debra and Gregory Durden and an Anonymous Friend.

Louis Lortie, piano

Sunday, April 2, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.

French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie has attracted critical acclaim throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. He has extended his interpretative voice across a broad range of repertoire rather than choosing to specialize in one particular style. London’s Times, describing his playing as “ever immaculate, ever imaginative,” has identified the artist’s “combination of total spontaneity and meditated ripeness that only great pianists have.” “As a virtuoso Lortie is uniquely human, and yet the sounds that emanate from his instrument belong to the sphere of the divine.” (BachTrack.com)

Lortie performs a truly brilliant, powerhouse program of works by Frédéric Chopin: both sets of the highly demanding and virtuosic Etudes, Opp.10 and 25, and the 24 Preludes, Op. 28, revered for their expressive range and beauty.

Tickets are priced at $70 (with discounts for subscribers, groups, students and Georgia educators), and are available for purchase now.

A brunch prior to the performance is available for an additional fee of $40 per person. The brunch will be held at 1:15 p.m. in the Harry S. Downs Education Center; price includes entrée, beverage and dessert. The deadline for purchasing brunch tickets is noon on Monday, March 27, 2016. Advanced purchase through the box office is required; dinners may not be purchased the day of concert.

Louis Lortie’s performance is made possible through the generosity of Spivey Hall Friends Concert Sponsors Jeffrey M. Adams and Susan M. Hunter.

Fred Hersch, piano

Saturday, April 8, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Jazz pianist / composer Fred Hersch “often sounds as if there’s a continuous conversation going on between [his] hands.” (Keyboard Magazine) A select member of jazz’s piano pantheon, Hersch is a pervasively influential creative force who has shaped the music’s course over more than three decades as an improviser, composer, educator, bandleader, collaborator and recording artist. A ten-time Grammy Award nominee, he continues to earn jazz’s most prestigious awards, including recent distinctions as a 2016 Doris Duke Artist and 2016 Jazz Pianist of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association. Spivey Hall patrons will experience for themselves “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade” (Vanity Fair), with a breathtaking solo recital. “When it comes to the art of solo piano in jazz, there are currently two classes of performers: Fred Hersch and everybody else.” (All About Jazz)

Tickets are priced at $40 (with discounts for subscribers, groups, students and Georgia educators), and are available for purchase now.

Yefim Bronfman, piano

Saturday, April 29, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Yefim Bronfman was born in the Soviet Union, emigrated to Israel at 15 and became a U.S. citizen at 31. This multi-cultural background perhaps helped develop in the pianist the great passion he displays in his formidable performances. “His energy emanates from his fingers and swirls out of the piano with such perfection that every note grabs the ear with an expressive, singing quality.” (The Washington Post) Internationally recognized as one of today’s most acclaimed and admired pianists, Bronfman stands among a handful of artists regularly sought by festivals, orchestras, conductors and recital series. His commanding technique, power and exceptional lyrical gifts are consistently acknowledged by the press and audiences alike.

Bronfman’s Spivey Hall program includes Béla Bartók’s folk-inspired Suite, Op. 14; Claude Debussy’s evanescent Suite bergamasque, including the ever-popular “Claire de lune;” and three lively, colorful movements from Igor Stravinsky’s magical ballet of the rustic Russian puppet, Petrushka.

Tickets are priced at $70 (with discounts for subscribers, groups, students and Georgia educators), and are available for purchase now.

A dinner prior to the performance is available for an additional fee of $40 per person. The dinner will be held at 5:45 p.m. in the Harry S. Downs Education Center; price includes entrée, beverage and dessert. The deadline for purchasing dinner tickets is noon on Monday, March 24, 2016. Advanced purchase through the box office is required; dinners may not be purchased the day of concert.

Yefim Bronfman’s performance is made possible through the generosity of Spivey Hall Friends Concert Sponsor Michael Koch, MD.

Clayton State University / Department of Visual and Performing Arts / Division of Music

Clayton State University

Department of Visual and Performing Arts / Division of Music

Little Red Riding Hood

Friday, April 21, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 22, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Students from CSU’s Music Drama Workshop present American composer Seymour Barab’s witty operatic version of the timeless story of Little Red Riding Hood.  Suitable for children but with some lessons for adults, too, Barab’s story of a little girl who thinks the rules apply “to everyone but me,” a surprisingly spry grandma, and a ravenous wolf “with a delicate digestive tract” has something for everyone.

Tickets for the two Music Drama performances are priced at $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for CSU faculty, staff and students with Laker card, and are available for purchase now.

Clayton State University Community Chorus

Dr. Michael Fuchs, conductor

Southern Crescent Symphony Orchestra

Dr. Richard Bell, conductor

Dr. Michiko Otaki, organ

Gabriel Fauré, Requiem

Thursday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m.

The CSU Community Chorus, combining the talents of university students, faculty, staff, and community members, joins forces with local favorite the Southern Crescent Symphony Orchestra to perform one of the 19th century’s hallmark works for chorus, orchestra and vocal soloists. Unlike the fiery, dramatic Requiem by Verdi, Fauré’s Requiem summons a spirituality of eternal rest and consolation. The soprano solo, “Pie Jesu,” moving in its heartfelt purity and simplicity, and the ethereal finale, “In Paradisum,” are but two of its glories.

Tickets for performances are priced at $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for CSU faculty, staff and students with Laker card, and are available for purchase now.

Clayton State University Orchestra

Southern Crescent Youth Symphony

Sunday, April 23, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.

Division of Music

Curated Student Recital

Wednesday, April 26, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.

Clayton State University Jazz Combo

Stacey Houghton, Director

Wednesday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Clayton State University Chorale

Dr. Michael Fuchs, Conductor

Sunday, April 30, 2024, 3:00 p.m.

Admission to the other Division of Music performances in April is free, with no tickets required.

About Spivey Hall

Now celebrating its 26th season, Spivey Hall is the South’s most acoustically superior recital hall, presenting the best in classical, jazz and world music. Located on the picturesque campus of Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia, just fifteen miles southeast of Atlanta, the hall has been praised by artists, patrons and journalists alike.

This season, Spivey Hall celebrates the 25th anniversary of its magnificent 4,413-pipe Albert Schweitzer Memorial Organ, custom-built in Italy by Fratelli Ruffatti, with special events and concerts.

An intimate venue with just 392 seats, Spivey Hall promotes for the concert-goer a personal connection with the artist both during and after the performance.  Spivey’s extraordinary acoustics and reputation for distinguished programming attract outstanding international musicians who regularly perform at the nation’s major concert venues such as Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. For more information, visit spiveyhall.org.

Clayton State University’s Spivey Hall gratefully acknowledges the support of The Walter and Emilie Spivey Foundation and the Spivey Hall Friends.

Alan Morrison holds the McGehee Family Organist Residency at Spivey Hall.

Spivey Hall’s Season 26 is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA also receives support from its partner agency – the National Endowment for the Arts.

About Clayton State University

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta. For more information, visit clayton.edu.