Violinist HILARY HAHN and pianist ROBERT LEVIN, plus art song duo MIAH PERSSON and FLORIAN BOESCH top stunning schedule of performances

From the prince of pianists to the dominant female violinist of our time, Spivey Hall fills March with exemplary artists sure to captivate and exhilarate Spivey Hall audiences.

“Attending a performance at Spivey Hall is the antidote to the large, impersonal concert experience,” said Sam Dixon, executive and artistic director of Spivey Hall. “Listening here gives each person a rich and deeply rewarding sense of connection with the artists. Seeing and hearing them in an acoustically excellent, intimate space, you get to know them as people, and feel at one with them through their music.”

Thrilling hard bop trumpeter and composer Sean Jones (March 4) brings an impeccable sense of swing to Spivey Hall patrons. Distinguished English mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, called “the most exciting, most galvanizing performer we have today” (The Independent), partners with pianist Joseph Middleton (March 11) in a recital that showcases her communicative power of a vivid storyteller in song. The talented singers of the Southern Crescent Chorale (March 18) deliver a powerful performance of Haydn’s stirring Lord Nelson Mass, accompanied by Spivey organist Alan Morrison on the resplendent Albert Schweitzer Memorial Organ. “The prince of pianists” (Gramophone) Bertrand Chamayou (March 19) displays his “staggering technique, commanding artistry, wide color palette, and controlled concentration” (ClassicsToday.com) in a program featuring Franz Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy. The powerhouse trio of soprano Miah Persson, baritone Florian Boesch and collaborative pianist Malcolm Martineau (March 25) explores the life of Romantic composer Robert Schumann through lyrical songs and duets inspired by the love of his wife Clara. Finally on March 26, former child prodigy (now international superstar) violinist Hilary Hahn, who dazzles the audiences with her daring interpretations of classical masterpieces and commissioned works, performs in recital with acclaimed pianist Robert Levin.

The Clayton State Department of Visual and Performing Arts / Division of Music offers a free concert featuring the CSU Orchestra performing Camille Saint-Saens’ whimsical musical suite, The Carnival of the Animals (March 23).

Spivey Hall Education presents six programs in its March Young People’s Concerts series designed to support STEAM classroom learning outcomes for K-12 students. Sean Driscoll, The Story Ship: Pirate Goodie and the Magic Chest (March 1) combines musical theater, comedy, puppets, magic, music and animation into an extraordinary live performance. An Ka Fo Drum and Dance Ensemble (March 8) brings authentic African music and song to tell the story of an ancient and powerful culture. The Capitol City Opera Company’s production of The Billy Goats Gruff (March 10) uses opera to teach a strong anti-bullying message. Atlanta Celli (March 15) educates elementary students about the cello in a fun interactive program. The Emory University Concert Choir (March 21),an outstanding collegiate choir, performs a program geared specifically for grades 6 – 12. The Clayton State University Orchestra performs Camille Saint-Saëns’ imaginative Carnival of the Animals (March 23), using various musical instruments to evoke different animals, most famously “The Swan,” with solo cello and two pianos.

For 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 single tickets are available only through the box office, which is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m.; series subscriptions are now available online for purchase.

Sean Jones Quartet

Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

Internationally acclaimed trumpeter / composer Sean Jones’ confident phrasing, fluent technique and poised solos were honed by a decade of playing lead trumpet for the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. His quartet, including longtime partners pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Mark Whitfield brings to Spivey a mix of classic and contemporary jazz in an upbeat concert. “The powerhouse quartet that trumpeter Sean Jones led Thursday night at the Jazz Showcase hit hard from the outset and never let up,” stated The Chicago Tribune of a 2023 performance.

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

The Sean Jones Quartet’s performance is made possible through the generosity of Spivey Hall Friends Concert Sponsor Lauren Benevich.

Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano

Joseph Middleton, piano

Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

Although best known for her baroque and classical roles, Connolly has a wide-ranging repertoire which has included works by Wagner as well as various 20th-century composers. She has twice been nominated for a Grammy Award and was made CBE in 2010. Accompanied by pianist Joseph Middleton, whom BBC Music Magazine hails as “one of the brightest stars in the world of song and Lieder,” Connolly’s recitals spotlight a voice that is “strong and luminous, but…also has a fragility, like stained glass.” (The New York Times)

Her Spivey Hall program will feature major song cycles by Robert Schumann (Frauenliebe und-leben) and Francis Poulenc (Banalités), as well as Gustav Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder. Solo performances by Connolly are rare and eagerly anticipated: “she brings the same aristocratic depth and perception to the great song cycles as audiences have grown to love in her defining stage personifications. “ (The Guardian)

Tickets are priced at $50 (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.

Southern Crescent Chorale

Janice Folsom, artistic director

Alan Morrison, organ

Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 8:00 p.m.

Holding an important place in the vibrant arts community of south metro Atlanta, the Southern Crescent Chorale, comprised of amateur and professional singers, delivers dynamic performances under the passionate leadership of veteran artistic director and conductor Janice Folsom.  A local favorite, the group returns to Spivey Hall with Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis (Mass for Troubled Times) or Lord Nelson Mass.  Haydn’s chief biographer, H.C. Robbins Landon, wrote that this mass “is arguably Haydn’s greatest single composition.” Accompanied by a small professional orchestra and Spivey Hall organist-in-residence Alan Morrison on the magnificent Albert Schweitzer Memorial Organ, audience members will be enthralled with the Chorale’s powerful performance of this classical era work.  Pieces by Domenico Scarlatti, Morten Lauridsen, Z.R. Stroope, and Charles-Marie Widor will provide a glimpse into other musical era classics.

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

Tickets are priced at $20 (with discounts for subscribers, groups, students and Georgia educators), and are available for purchase now.

Bertrand Chamayou, piano

Saturday, March 19, 2023 at 3:00 p.m.

Bertrand Chamayou has established himself at the highest level on the international music scene, performing in venues such as the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Lincoln Center, the Herkulessaal Munich and London’s Wigmore Hall. In 2016 he released a double-album of the complete works for solo piano of Maurice Ravel, recorded in his hometown of Toulouse and hailed in Gramophone for “revelatory performances of breathtaking beauty.” Although perhaps best known for his interpretations of Romantic music, Chamayou is equally 20th- and 21st-century music, having worked with composers including Henri Dutilleux, Pierre Boulez and György Kurtag, and performing the piano concertos of Thomas Adès and Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Présences Festival.

Chamayou’s Spivey Hall performance includes Maurice Ravel’s Pavane for a Dead Princess; Franz Liszt’s transcriptions for piano of several Franz Schubert songs, including Aus dem Wasser zu singen; and Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy, D. 760.

Tickets are priced at $50 (with discounts for subscribers, groups, students and Georgia educators), and are available for purchase now.

Bertrand Chamayou’s performance is made possible through the generosity of Spivey Hall Friends Concert Sponsors William Muckley and Lynne Wood.

Miah Persson, soprano

Florian Boesch, baritone

Malcolm Martineau, piano

Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

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

“Radiant of tone and appearance, the Swedish soprano Miah Persson [demonstrates] why she is justly regarded as one of the world’s foremost lyric sopranos.” (Bachtrack.com) Similarly, Austrian baritone Florian Boesch “doesn’t just sing this music, he inhabits it to the hilt.” (The Independent), delivering “a lived experience, with flashes of transcendence.” (The New York Times) With the support of Scottish pianist Malcolm Martineau, the concert features lyrical songs and duets from the most remarkable period of Robert Schumann’s career, including selections from the nature-inspired Liederkreis, a cycle Schumann described in a letter to Clara Wieck as his “most romantic music ever.”

Tickets are priced at $65 (with discounts for subscribers, groups, students and Georgia educators), and are available for purchase now. A pre-concert talk with Clayton State music faculty member Dr. Kurt-Alexander Zeller begins at 6:30 p.m. and is included in the ticket price.

Hilary Hahn, violin

Robert Levin, piano

Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 3:00 p.m.

Pre-concert brunch at 1:15 p.m.

Three-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn is renowned for her virtuosity, expansive interpretations, and creative programming. Her dynamic approach to music-making and her commitment to sharing her musical experiences with a broad global community have made her a fan favorite since she debuted as a teenaged prodigy twenty years ago. Joined by pianist Robert Levin, (“no mere accompanist, fastidious in his role as a partner yet one who never overwhelms” (Gramophone)), Hahn brings “an ideal mixture of intelligence, refinement, and ferocious technique” (The Classical Review) to a program of classical masterpieces, including Ludwig van Beethoven’s compelling Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47, known as the Kreutzer Sonata and famed for its unusual length and widely-ranging emotional scope.

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 dinner tickets is noon on Monday, March 20, 2023. Advanced purchase through the box office is required; brunch may not be purchased the day of concert.

Hilary Hahn’s performance is made possible through the generosity of The Drs. Bryan and Norma Edwards Spivey Hall Endowment for Chamber Music and Spivey Hall Friends Concert Sponsor Dr. Don Russ.

Clayton State University

Department of Visual and Performing Arts Division of Music

Clayton State University Orchestra

The Carnival of the Animals

Dr. Richard Bell, conductor

Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

The Clayton State University Orchestra shines in a performance of Camille Saint-Saëns’s humorous suite The Carnival of the Animals – a musical parade of furry, floating and feathered friends including lions, hens, roosters, kangaroos and fish, plus a graceful swan, an elephant, a rather peculiar type of animal called “Pianists,” and a very, very, very slow tortoise.

Admission to this Division of Music performance is free, with no tickets required.

Spivey Hall Education

Young People’s Concerts (YPC)

Spivey Hall’s Young People’s Concerts (YPC) are an integral part of its education program; the concerts are 45-50 minutes in length and designed for audience interaction. Educators and parents are asked to note carefully the performance times and recommended grade levels for each program. There will be study guides correlated to the curriculum (GPS and CCGPS) with a concentration on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics).

While the concerts are intended for children and youth in pre-K to grade 12, Spivey Hall welcomes community members of all ages to the performances. Concerts cost just $2 in advance at the box office, $3 in advance online and $5 on the day of the concert, and are available for purchase now.

Complete information on YPCs and Spivey Hall’s education program is available at spiveyhall.org.

Sean Driscoll, The Story Ship: Pirate Goodie and the Magic Chest

Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 11:15 a.m.

When Goodie can’t remember how to open his magic treasure chest it’s up to the audience and his animated friends to help figure it out. Children of all ages will laugh and learn during this undersea adventure filled with colorful animation, charming puppets, magic, music and even a little audience participation.

An Ka Fo Drum and Dance Ensemble

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at 11:15 a.m.

Established in 2009, Atlanta-based An Ka Fo Drum and Dance Ensemble performs heart-pounding authentic, traditional and ancient African dance, music, and folklore as well as creative works. A colorful and powerful African dance and drum company, An Ka Fo lifts its audiences to their feet with its detailed synthesis of dance, rhythm and song. contemporary jazz repertoire with emphasis on small group performing skills and jazz improvisation.

Capitol City Opera, The Billy Goats Gruff

Friday, March 10, 2023 at 9:45 and 11:15 a.m.

Capitol City Opera takes the familiar fairy tale, adds a fun operatic twist and delivers a strong anti-bullying message while promoting the power of kindness. On the way home from school, three little billy goats encounter a steep bridge and a sticky situation that they must try to solve. Ideal for children in grades pre-K through 5th grade, the 50-minute opera is set to some of the greatest music by Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti.

Atlanta Celli

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 11:15 a.m.

Atlanta Celli is four classically-trained cellists (Nan Kemberling, Mary Beth Bryant, Erin Cassel and Jessica Messere) who push the boundaries of traditional cello music. They enjoy performing the intricacies of classical music but are just as likely to be found playing eclectic arrangements of rock and pop songs as well as their own original works. Whether on stage in a traditional concert hall or in a late-night rock club, Celli shatters any preconceived notions of what it means to be a cellist.

Emory University Concert Choir

Dr. Eric Nelson, conductor

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 11:15 a.m.

The Concert Choir has given performances throughout the world, including Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the Berlinerdom in Berlin, Karmelitow Boysch Church in Krakow, and St. Nicholas Church in Prague. It performed “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” with the Rolling Stones during the encore of the legendary band’s June 9 concert in Atlanta. The choir sings a wide variety of sacred and secular repertoire, from the middle ages to the present, from chant to folk song.

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

Clayton State University Orchestra

Carnival of the Animals

Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 11:15 a.m.

Clayton State University Orchestra presents Camille Saint-Saëns’ humorous musical suite The Carnival of the Animals. This beloved work features a narrated musical menagerie that makes great use of the instruments of the orchestra.

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.