. 

February 10
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Botti's Back - Chris Botti & Band. 8 p.m. Tickets $25-$64. He’s smooth, he’s sensual, he’s trumpeter extraordinaire Chris Botti and he returns by popular demand with his stellar band to perform with the Orchestra. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Emory Annual Jazz Fest with Sachal Vasandani and the Gary Motley Trio. 8 p.m. Tickets $10-$15. Emory University Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, 1700 N. Decatur Road, N.E., Atlanta. for more information, please call 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu. 

February 11
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Botti's Back - Chris Botti & Band. 8 p.m. Tickets $25-$64. He’s smooth, he’s sensual, he’s trumpeter extraordinaire Chris Botti and he returns by popular demand with his stellar band to perform with the Orchestra. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Leif Ove Andsnes, piano. 8:15 p.m. Tickets $75. Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes makes his long-awaited return to Spivey Hall with a program featuring the four lyrical and dramatic Ballades by Frederic Chopin. Pianist-in-Residence of the Berlin Philharmonic in the 2010-2011 season, Andsnes is a highly sought-after artist whose performances and recordings combine technical mastery with "unassuming and superlative artistry" ( Gramophone). "The most accomplished pianist of the new generation" ( The New York Times). Program: HAYDN Sonata in C minor Hob.XVI: 20; BARTOK Suite op 14; DEBUSSY Images book 1; CHOPIN Ballade No.3; CHOPIN 4 Waltzes; CHOPIN Nocturne Op.62, No.1; CHOPIN Ballade No.1. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org .  

Ludwig Symphony Orchestra: "A Beethoven Romance for Valentine's Day." 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10-$19. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest Street, Roswell. For more information, lease call 77--594-6232 or visit www.roswellgov.com 

The Music of Johnny Mercer and Friends. 8 p.m. Tickets starting at $22. Featuring Joe Gransden & jazz vocalist maria Howell with the Georgia State University Jazz Band. It’s been said that it’s almost impossible to get through the day without hearing one Johnny Mercer song—and why would you want to? Georgia’s own Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics to over 1,700 songs, including four Academy Award-winners. From the light-hearted "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" and "Jeepers Creepers" to the romantic "Laura," the cinematic "Hooray for Hollywood" and the timeless “Days of Wine and Roses" and "Moon River," Mercer truly penned the sound of an American century. Hard-bop trumpeter and vocalist Joe Gransden and jazz vocalist Maria Howell (stand-out soloist in the award-winning film version of The Color Purple) join the Georgia State University Jazz Band for this celebration of Mercer’s life and work. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

February 12
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: The Fabled Cinderella. 1:30 & 3:30 p.m. Tickets $15-$20. You and your children know the story but you’ve never seen Cinderella like this before. Hilarious life-sized puppets, masks, magic and wonderful music assure this nationally acclaimed original production (by the company that gave us last season’s Aladdin and the Arabian Nights) is fun for the whole family. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

February 15
Feed Your Senses: A Free Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series. Noon - 1 p.m. Bring your lunch or box lunches will be available for $5. Join your downtown friends for the Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series held monthly at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University. The program features a different artist or speaker each month providing a casual and fun insider's look at his or her craft. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

February 16
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Mozart & Elgar. 8 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. 
The dynamic Roberto Minczuk brings works of Mozart, Strauss and Wagner, luminous creations all, and joins forces with Johannes Moser, “one of the finest young virtuoso cellists” (Gramophone), who performs Elgar’s elegiac and heartfelt Concerto in his debut. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

February 16-19
Asian Music Festival. Thurs., Feb. 16, Sat., Feb. 18 and Sun., Feb. 19, 2012, 7 p.m., Sun., Feb. 19, 2012, 3 p.m. Free. The Department of Music presents four concerts performed by the seven Asian music ensembles in the world music program, featuring classical genres, folk repertoire, and new compositions in the music of China, Korea, Indonesia, North India, South India and Tibet. Emory University Performing Arts Studio, 11804 N. Decatur Road, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu.  

February 17
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Mozart & Elgar. 8 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. 
The dynamic Roberto Minczuk brings works of Mozart, Strauss and Wagner, luminous creations all, and joins forces with Johannes Moser, “one of the finest young virtuoso cellists” (Gramophone), who performs Elgar’s elegiac and heartfelt Concerto in his debut. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Kronos Quartet with Alim Qasimov Ensemble. 8 p.m. Tickets $38; discount category members $30; Emory students $10. The collaboration between Kronos Quartet and the Alim Qasimov Ensemble produces powerful pieces drawn from the repertoire of Azerbaijani ashiqs—oral-tradition singer-songwriters whose song texts portray, often with wry humor and searing irony, the power of love and the pain of separation. The legendary singer Alim Qasimov is called “one of the most thrilling, unashamedly emotional performers on the planet” (Robin Denselow, the "Guardian"). Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Emory University, 1700 North Decatur Road, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu .  

February 18
Freddy Cole Quartet. 8:15 p.m. Tickets $40. A Grammy Award nominee and Georgia Music Hall of Fame honoree who calls Atlanta home when he’s not touring the world, pianist and vocalist Freddy Cole enthralls and entertains with his “gorgeous autumnal baritone, expressive phrasing, and pitch-perfect feel for jazz standards, pop tunes and love ballads” (People).“Freddy has an impeccable sense of swing. . . .He is, overall, the most maturely expressive male jazz singer of his generation, if not the best alive” ( The New York Times). Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

Mediterranean Meditations: Israel’s Yasmin Levy and Omar Faruk Tekbilek from Turkey. 8 p.m. Tickets $34. Yasmin Levy seamlessly blends the ancient, romantic sounds of the Jewish culture long ago nurtured and then exiled from Spain with that country’s passionate flamenco tradition. Turkey’s Omar Faruk Tekbilek is a virtuosic master of Middle Eastern wind instruments like the zurna and bağlama. Both nominated for BBC World Music Awards, these remarkable musicians together weave a transcendent mix of memory, nostalgia, tender beauty, and hope. And when their far-flung musical influences meet—where else but on the Rialto stage—it is a world-music performance you don’t want to miss! Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org. 

February 19
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Mozart & Elgar. 3 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. 
The dynamic Roberto Minczuk brings works of Mozart, Strauss and Wagner, luminous creations all, and joins forces with Johannes Moser, “one of the finest young virtuoso cellists” (Gramophone), who performs Elgar’s elegiac and heartfelt Concerto in his debut. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

February 23
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Haydn & Wagner with Leila Josefowicz.8 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. Radiating incandescence at every turn, Leila Josefowicz in the spellbinding violin concerto of Thomas Adès. The myriad fascinations of Debussy’s timeless ode to the sea and Wagner’s gorgeous Prelude display the talents of internationally acclaimed American conductor James Gaffigan. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

February 24
Emory Wind Ensemble. 8 p.m. Free. Emory University Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Emerson Concert Hall, 1700 N. Decatur Road, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu.  

Side by Side, Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta Noontime Series. Noon. Free. Mozart's "Gran Partita" for winds with Emory faculty and students joining forces. Emory University Michael C. Carlos Museum, 571 Kilgo circle, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu.  

February 25
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Haydn & Wagner with Leila Josefowicz.8 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. Radiating incandescence at every turn, Leila Josefowicz in the spellbinding violin concerto of Thomas Adès. The myriad fascinations of Debussy’s timeless ode to the sea and Wagner’s gorgeous Prelude display the talents of internationally acclaimed American conductor James Gaffigan. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra "All Beethoven!" 8 p.m. Tickets $30; Seniors $23.50; Students $16.50. Program: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica," J . Wayne Baughman, conductor. Mass in C Major, Opus 86, Michael O'Neal, conductor. -With the 130 voice Michael O'Neal singers. Johns Creek Baptist Church, 6910 McGinnis Ferry Road, Johns Creek. For more information, please call 678-748-5802 or email: info@johnscreeksymphony. 

Jupiter String Quartet. 8:15 p.m. Tickets $45. Pre-concert Talk 7:15 PM by Dr. Kurt-Alexander Zeller. Nelson Lee, violin; Meg Freivogel, violin; Liz Freivogel, viola; Daniel McDonough, cello. With “a warm, refined sound and a tensile interpretive style” ( The Boston Globe), the Jupiter String Quartet wins accolades and admirers for its cohesive, deeply-felt interpretations of a rich repertoire. As the creative engine powering the three-season PROJECT JUPITER education/outreach residency at Spivey Hall, the four Jupiters continue to attract fans of all ages, heightening awareness and appreciation of the excellent music for string quartet. “The performance balanced proportion with penetrating feeling, confirming how vibrantly the members of the Jupiter make close contact with one another through transcendent music.” ( The Plain Dealer, Cleveland). Program: BEETHOVEN String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 18 No. 6; BARTÓK String Quartet No. 6, Sz. 114; MENDELSSOHN String Quartet in D major, Op. 44 No. 1. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org .  

McCoy Tyner Quartet with special guest Joe Lovano
GRAMMY-winning Jazz Legend. 8 p.m. Tickets $42. Jazz pianist McCoy Tyner bears a pedigree few musicians today can match. As a member of the John Coltrane Quartet, Tyner played alongside the master on original recordings of “My Favorite Things” and “A Love Supreme,” to name just a few, and changed the sound of jazz in the process. Tyner would eventually move on and explore new musical horizons on his own both as a composer and bandleader—even experimenting with the harpsichord and celeste in his work. Some 80 albums later, he’s still a leading light of the jazz universe. Now, his group returns to the Rialto with a special guest, GRAMMY-Award winning post-bop jazz saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano, whose long and storied career has seen him play alongside the likes of Chet Baker, Woody Herman, and Abbey Lincoln. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

The Radio Show, Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion, Flora Glenn Candler Concert Series. 8 p.m. Tickets $20; Discount Category Members $15; Students $10. Pittsburgh-native Kyle Abraham delves into identity and personal history in The Radio Show. Creating an abstract narrative around the loss of communication, he investigates the effects of the abrupt discontinuation of Pittsburgh radio station WAMO on a community, and the lingering effects of Alzheimer's and aphasia on a family. Abraham mixes recordings of classic soul and hip hop with contemporary classical compositions to create an eclectic score that evokes fond memories and a passion for what is lost. Emory University Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Dance Studio, 1700 N. Decatur Road, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu.  

February 26
The Michael O'Neal Singers. 3 p.m. Tickets $17; $12 students and seniors age 60+. With guest ensemble Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra. Roswell United Methodist Church, 814 Mimosa Boulevard, Roswell. For more information, please call 770-594-7974.

David Tanenbaum, guitar. 3 p.m. Tickets $40. Performing music from the 17th century to the present day, David Tanenbaum is highly regarded as a foremost proponent of new guitar repertoire. A prolific recording artist lauded by The New Yorker as “aristocratic, wonderfully vivid, eloquent and technically accomplished,” Tanenbaum is “a musician of the highest quality” ( Los Angeles Times). “A master of the instrument. Mr. Tanenbaum played so musically and so expressively that the listener was led directly to the essence of each composer" ( The New York Times). Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

March 1
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Mr. Watts and a World Premiere. 8 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. The spectacular André Watts stars in Grieg’s much-loved Piano Concerto. Mr. Spano offers a world premiere by Adam Schoenberg, the youngest composer in The Atlanta School, plus Nielsen’s ear singeing 5th generates heat and an amazing finish in “a battle between good and evil.” 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Jupiter String Quartet Master Class. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10. In the course of a three-year Spivey Hall residency, the critically-acclaimed Jupiter String Quartet will undertake a wide variety of performance, community outreach, and audience development activities, collectively called PROJECT JUPITER. This master class will showcase the talents and achievements of student quartets from three PROJECT JUPITER Southern Crescent partner high schools, who will highlight the technical, interpretative, and teamwork skills fundamental to performing as a quartet. This event will be of interest to string teachers, chamber musicians of all ages, and anyone seeking to learn more about how four musical personalities can combine to function expressively as one. PROJECT JUPITER is made possible with additional special support from the National Endowment for the Arts and Hampton Inn. The Jupiter String Quartet can be heard in concert at Spivey Hall on Saturday, November 5, 2011, and Saturday, February 25, 2012, at 8:15 PM with a pre-concert talk beginning at 7:15 PM. Tickets are $45 for adults and $22.50 for students. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

Rialto Visual Arts Series: First Thursday Downtown Arts Walk. 5-8 p.m. Exhibition Hours: M-F 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Free. Come join us on the First Thursday of each month on a self-guided tour and experience the magnificent art being featured at various venues in historic Downtown Atlanta. The Rialto Visual Art Series transforms the Rialto lobby and mezzanine into an exhibition space for projects organized by Karen Comer Lowe. Exhibitions relate to Rialto presentations or city-wide arts initiatives including the National Black Arts Festival and Atlanta Celebrates Photography. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

Montana Skies - A unique fusion concert at Callanwold​e. 7:30 p.m. Tickets online: $12 Students; $15 General; At the door $15 Students; $20 General duo with the energy of a rock band and a must-see live concert experience presented by Callanwolde Fine Arts Center on March 2, 2012 at 7:30 pm. Their name, Montana Skies, is a metaphor for musical freedom, and they continue to follow their creative instincts far beyond traditional boundaries. In concert, these award winning musicians delve into music from Pink Floyd and Rush to Vivaldi, and House of the Rising Sun, as well as their own originals that have been featured everywhere from NPR to the Travel Channel. The concert will be held in Callanwolde’s indoor courtyard. Arrive early to enjoy a painting exhibit by Christina Bray in the Callanwolde Gallery and the Callan Cafe, offering delicious hot and cold drinks, pastries and light snacks. Parking is free and on-site. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Rd, N.E., Atlanta. Buy tickets online at TicketLeap.com. For more information, please call 404-872-5338 or visit: www.callanwolde.org 

March 2
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Mr. Watts and a World Premiere. 8 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. The spectacular André Watts stars in Grieg’s much-loved Piano Concerto. Mr. Spano offers a world premiere by Adam Schoenberg, the youngest composer in The Atlanta School, plus Nielsen’s ear singeing 5th generates heat and an amazing finish in “a battle between good and evil.” 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Christopher O'Riley, piano. 8 p.m. Tickets $46; discount category members $36; Emory students $10. As host of the popular NPR music program, "From the Top," Christopher O’Riley is well-known for his eloquent and compelling musings on music and pop culture. His Emory performance will feature his unique repertoire: from classical styles such as Chopin to rich piano interpretations of Radiohead and other alt-rock. Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Center, Emory University, 1700 North Decatur Road, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-727-5050 or visit www.atlantamusicfestival.org .  

March 3
Richard Morris, organ. 3 p.m. Tickets $30. No one understands the expressive qualities of Spivey Hall’s magnificent 4,413-pipe, 77-rank Fratelli Ruffatti organ better than organist-in-residence Richard Morris, and few can match the achievements of his long and distinguished career. With extensive concert tours through the USA and abroad, numerous radio broadcasts, television appearances and recordings, and the honor of being presented in recital at Carnegie Hall, Morris is uniquely accomplished among his peers. A protégé of the legendary Virgil Fox, he performs a rich repertoire in the grand tradition of American concert organists, enhancing his recitals with commentary reflecting his quick wit and great wealth of organ lore. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

March 4
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Mr. Watts and a World Premiere. 3 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. The spectacular André Watts stars in Grieg’s much-loved Piano Concerto. Mr. Spano offers a world premiere by Adam Schoenberg, the youngest composer in The Atlanta School, plus Nielsen’s ear singeing 5th generates heat and an amazing finish in “a battle between good and evil.” 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Yefim Bronfman, piano. 3 p.m. Tickets $65. Yefim Bronfman redefines the meaning of virtuosity, combining formidable strength and brilliance with natural sensitivity and grace, rendering performances of exceptional intelligence and elegance “There are some mighty fine pianists on the scene, capable not only of delivering technical fireworks, but of producing experiences rich in musical feeling. One of the best in this regard is Yefim Bronfman” (The Baltimore Sun), Program: BRAHMS Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5; LISZT Transcendental Etudes (selections); PROKOFIEV Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major, Op. 84. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

March 8
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: A Stunning St. Matthew's Passion. 8 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. Atlanta’s signature Theater of a Concert and a stellar cast provide a stunning showcase for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, a legendary choral masterpiece. Director Anne Patterson, whose lustrous touch memorably lit up Bach’s St. John Passion for Maestro Spano in 2007, rejoins him here. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

March 10
Anonymous 4. 8:15 p.m. Tickets $50. Ruth Cunningham,
Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellaue, and Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek. Anonymous 4 is heralded for their unearthly vocal blend and ethereal ensemble singing. “The reigning superstars of the medieval sacred music world” (Kansas City Star), the four soloists combine historical scholarship with contemporary performance intuition to create their magical ensemble sound, enchanting audiences everywhere. Their worldwide recording sales now top 2 million. In a special 25th Anniversary Season program, they sing favorites old and new from their ever-expanding repertoire. “Few medieval-music specialists on the planet are as celebrated as Anonymous 4, and there are few better ways to soothe your spirit than listening to these women sing chant and early polyphony" (San Francisco Classical Voice). Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: A Stunning St. Matthew's Passion. 8 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. Atlanta’s signature Theater of a Concert and a stellar cast provide a stunning showcase for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, a legendary choral masterpiece. Director Anne Patterson, whose lustrous touch memorably lit up Bach’s St. John Passion for Maestro Spano in 2007, rejoins him here. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Trey McIntyre Project Ballet. Passion. Energy. 8 p.m. Tickets $34. 
The Trey McIntyre Project—an immediate sensation with critics and audiences alike when the troupe burst onto the contemporary dance scene less than four years ago—is led by choreographer Trey McIntyre, one of Dance magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2001. His work has been commissioned by American Ballet Theatre, Stuttgart Ballet, and many others. McIntyre states that he makes use of the inherent beauty of ballet’s vocabulary “to create dances that convey the emotion and grace of life’s journey,” and seeing this young company’s startlingly fresh and exciting take on ballet is living proof of just that. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

March 16
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Broadway Icon - Marvin Hamlisch. 8 p.m. Tickets $25-$64. Atlanta’s signature Theater of a Concert and a stellar cast provide a stunning showcase for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, a legendary choral masterpiece. Director Anne Patterson, whose lustrous touch memorably lit up Bach’s St. John Passion for Maestro Spano in 2007, rejoins him here. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

March 17
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Broadway Icon - Marvin Hamlisch. 8 p.m. Tickets $25-$64. Atlanta’s signature Theater of a Concert and a stellar cast provide a stunning showcase for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, a legendary choral masterpiece. Director Anne Patterson, whose lustrous touch memorably lit up Bach’s St. John Passion for Maestro Spano in 2007, rejoins him here. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Spanish Harlem Orchestra: GRAMMY-winning Salsa / Latin jazz. 8 p.m. Tickets $34. New York’s Spanish Harlem is as culturally significant for Latinos as Harlem is for African Americans. And for over a decade now, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra has been a standard bearer of this community’s iconic music. Stirring the pot of mid-20th century influences and “keeping the salsa simmering” for a new generation, this 13-member all-star ensemble has reintroduced the classic sounds of salsa to the world. Directed by world-renowned pianist, arranger, and producer Oscar Hernández, the GRAMMY-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra is one of the most formidable and authentic Latin jazz combos performing today. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

March 18
Atlanta Chamber Players; Paula Peach, artistic director. 3 p.m. Tickets $30 adults; $15 students. Paula Peace, piano; Elizabeth Koch, oboe; Laura Ardan, clarinet; Ricahrd Deane, horn; Carl Nitchie, bassoon; Justin Bruns, violin; Brad Ritchie, cello; and Elena Cholakova, guest piano. Founded in 1976, the Atlanta Chamber Players have earned a national reputation as a pioneer among chamber groups and is widely respected among arts organizations in the Southeast. "They play with great generosity, technically well-balanced and crisp, but with color and warmth" (Creative Loafing).
Program: "Ludwig & Felix;" BEETHOVEN Quintet for Piano & Winds in Eb major, Op. 16; MENDELSSOHN - Piano Trio in C minor, O. 66. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

March 21
Feed Your Senses. Noon - 1 p.m. A Free Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series. Bring your lunch or box lunches will be available for $5. Join your downtown friends for the Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series held monthly at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University. The program features a different artist or speaker each month providing a casual and fun insider's look at his or her craft. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

March 22
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Mozart & Beethoven. 8 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. An irresistible pairing of Mozart and Beethoven with the incredible violinist Leonidas Kavakos, making his Atlanta conducting debut. Mozart’s delightful Concerto is a treat for violinists and audiences alike, and Beethoven’s 4th demonstrates his symphonic supremacy. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Paula Patterson, mezzo-soprano; Peter Collins, piano . 7:30 p.m. Frees. Presented by the Clayton State University Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Music Division. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org  

March 23
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Mozart & Beethoven. 8 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. An irresistible pairing of Mozart and Beethoven with the incredible violinist Leonidas Kavakos, making his Atlanta conducting debut. Mozart’s delightful Concerto is a treat for violinists and audiences alike, and Beethoven’s 4th demonstrates his symphonic supremacy. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Sharon Isbin Guitar Master Class. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

March 24
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Mozart & Beethoven. 8 p.m. Tickets $21-$79. An irresistible pairing of Mozart and Beethoven with the incredible violinist Leonidas Kavakos, making his Atlanta conducting debut. Mozart’s delightful Concerto is a treat for violinists and audiences alike, and Beethoven’s 4th demonstrates his symphonic supremacy. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

Sharon Isbin, Guitar. 8:15 p.m. Tickets $50. Audiences around the world know that two-time Grammy Award-winner Sharon Isbin plays with “superb artistry” and “mesmerizing finesse” ( Los Angeles Times). Critics reach for superlatives to describe her playing: “She gets nuances out of the classical guitar few guitarists since Segovia have matched” (Chicago Tribune). Without question, “Isbin’s ability to make her guitar sing raises her into the ranks of the world’s greatest masters of the guitar” ( Toronto Star). “Classical guitar’s reigning diva” ( Dallas Morning Star). Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org .

Anoushka Shankar. 8 p.m. Tickets $34. Born in India, Raised in Spain: Flamenco’s Journey. and composer Anoushka Shankar is deeply rooted in Indian classical music even as she forges new connections between Indian music and genres as diverse as electronica, jazz, and Western classical music. Shankar has worked with artists such as Sting, Lenny Kravitz, and acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell. Now, she brings her ear-opening fusion of Indian and flamenco traditions to the Rialto as the latest stop in her gypsy-like musical journey. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.   

March 25
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Youth Orchestra – Crescendo. 3 p.m. Tickets $10. Catch a glimpse of the future of orchestral music as the region’s most promising young artists come together and perform great works under the baton of veteran musician and Music Director, Jere Flint. 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-733-4900 or visit asoinfo@woodruffcenter.org 

The Michael O'Neal Chamber Singers in Concert. 3 p.m. Tickets $10. Alpharetta Presbyterian Church, 180 Academy Street, Alpharetta. For more information, please call 770-751-0033. 

Ursula Oppens, piano. 3 p.m. Tickets $50. Indisputably the first lady of contemporary American piano music, Ursula Oppens is renowned for her lucid and imaginative performances of works by living composers. "What makes Oppens a compelling musician…is her probing intellect and curiosity; her ability to calirfy what she perceives" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). Her Spivey Hall debut program features music by three major American composers: an improvisation by John Corigliano, relishing a new freedom of creative process with computer-aided notation; musical musings by the 102-year-young Elliott Carter, whose complete piano works she has recorded, and long championed; and Fredric Rzewski’s 36 kaleidoscopic variations on a Chilean Resistance song, which since their commission, Kennedy Center premiere, and recording by Oppens have attained iconic status. "Many of us approach concerts of new classical music with trepidation. Will we know the composer? Will we like the music? Will we understand it? Well, more of us should attend new-music concerts like the one starring pianist Ursula Oppens…" (Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Program: JOHN CORIGLIANO Winging It (2008); ELLIOTT CARTER Two Thoughts About the Piano (2005-06); FREDRIC RZEWSKI The People United Will Never be Defeated! (1975). Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

March 29
The Michael O'Neal Chamber Singers in Concert. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10. Peachtree Presbyterian Church, 3434 Roswell Road, N.W., Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-842-5800. 

March 30
Clayton State University Opera; Kurt-Alexander Zeller, director. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10 adults; $5 students general admission, tickets required. Free for CSU faculty, staff and students with Laker Card. Presented by the Clayton State University Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Music Division. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

March 31
Clayton State University Opera; Kurt-Alexander Zeller, director. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10 adults; $5 students general admission, tickets required. Free for CSU faculty, staff and students with Laker Card. Presented by the Clayton State University Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Music Division. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole and Feufollet. 8 p.m. Tickets $34. 
The Rialto goes back to the Bayou with GRAMMY-nominated Creole sensation Cedric Watson and his band Bijou Creole (whom he debuted on the Rialto stage in 2009) alongside Feufollet, a band deeply rooted in the francophone soil of Louisiana and pushing boldly into unexplored yet utterly natural varieties of the Cajun experience. Watson, one of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun or Creole music in years, is a fiddler, vocalist, accordionist, and songwriter of seemingly unlimited potential. Feufollet breaks new ground featuring originals that draw on deep roots tempered by the cutting edge of contemporary life, capturing the spirit of Cajun tradition without mimicking it. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

April 5
Rialto Visual Arts Series: First Thursday Downtown Arts Walk. 5-8 p.m. Exhibition Hours: M-F 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Free. Come join us on the First Thursday of each month on a self-guided tour and experience the magnificent art being featured at various venues in historic Downtown Atlanta. The Rialto Visual Art Series transforms the Rialto lobby and mezzanine into an exhibition space for projects organized by Karen Comer Lowe. Exhibitions relate to Rialto presentations or city-wide arts initiatives including the National Black Arts Festival and Atlanta Celebrates Photography. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

April 6
Dawn Upshaw, soprano. 8 p.m. Tickets Cost $56; discount category members $44; Emory students $10. Joining a rare natural warmth with a fierce commitment to the transforming communicative power of music, Dawn Upshaw has achieved worldwide celebrity as a singer of opera and concert repertoire ranging from the sacred works of Bach to the freshest sounds of today. Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Center, Emory University, 1700 North Decatur Road, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-727-5050 or visit www.atlantamusicfestival.org .  

April 11
Clayton State Wind Ensemble; Patrick Carney, conductor. 7:30 p.m. Free. Presented by the Clayton State University Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Music Division. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

April 12
Australian Chamber Orchestra . 8 p.m. Tickets $46; discount category members $36; Emory students $10. Internationally renowned for inspired programming and the rapturous response of audiences and critics, the Australian Chamber Orchestra moves hearts and stimulates minds with a virtuosity and energy unmatched by other ensembles. Their Emory program includes Mahler, Shostakovich, Beethoven; plus featured baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes, the operatic world’s rising star from New Zealand. Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Center, Emory University, 1700 North Decatur Road, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-727-5050 or visit www.atlantamusicfestival.org . 

April 13
Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro: Georgia State University Opera Theatre & Symphony Orchestra. 8 p.m. Tickets $22. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) has been among the most-performed operas in the world since its debut in 1786. Plots and subplots, mix-ups and fix-ups, cat-calls and pratfalls abound in a delightful mix of infectious, instantly recognizable melodies and bawdy humor. But this seemingly gauzy operatic confection also explores more serious territory such as the interplay of class, power and privilege, resulting in a profound comedy of the human condition. Set in today’s culture of social networking and ever accelerating technology, this exploration of love in the digital age will be stage directed by Carroll Freeman, accompanied by the Georgia State University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Palmer, and sung in Italian with English supertitles. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

April 14
Charles Castronovo, tenor. 8:15 p.m. Tickets $60. American lyric tenor Charles Castronovo has triumphed in leading roles at the major opera houses of London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, with notable appearances also at the Salzburg Festival and Santa Fe Opera. “His tenor is not overpowering, but it is large, secure and beautifully textured – the high notes fresh and burnished, the lower range sweet but substantial. His singing encompassed everything from forceful heroism to the most fluid lyricism. . . . And Castronovo is a vibrant onstage presence as well, combining dramatic subtlety with sheer charisma” (San Francisco Chronicle).
Charles Castronovo’s Atlanta debut program features opera arias and songs by Liszt and Rachmaninov, and joining him for special arrangements of de Falla’s Seven Popular Songs and traditional Neapolitan songs are Austin Grant (guitar/mandolin) and Taso Comanescu (guitar). Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro: Georgia State University Opera Theatre & Symphony Orchestra. 8 p.m. Tickets $22. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) has been among the most-performed operas in the world since its debut in 1786. Plots and subplots, mix-ups and fix-ups, cat-calls and pratfalls abound in a delightful mix of infectious, instantly recognizable melodies and bawdy humor. But this seemingly gauzy operatic confection also explores more serious territory such as the interplay of class, power and privilege, resulting in a profound comedy of the human condition. Set in today’s culture of social networking and ever accelerating technology, this exploration of love in the digital age will be stage directed by Carroll Freeman, accompanied by the Georgia State University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Palmer, and sung in Italian with English supertitles. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

April 15
Beijing Guitar Duo Meng Su, guitar; Yameng Wang, guitar. 3 p.m. Tickets $40. Trained at the Chen Zhi School of Classical of Guitar in Beijing, Meng Su and Yamen Wang met Manuel Barrueco in Hong Kong and joined him in Baltimore to complete their studies at the Peabody School of Music. Their debut CD, Maracaípe, featuring the title-track duo composed for them by Sergio Assad, has earned them a Latin Grammy Award nomination for “Best Contemporary Classical Composition.” “It was clear from the evening [at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in New York] that both women are incredibly gifted, and together with their ability to fuse technical skill effortlessly with their depth of musicality, they have the star potential to serve as inspiration for new generations of guitarists to come” ( Classical Guitar Magazine). Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

The Michael O'Neal Singers. 3 p.m. Tickets $10. Hear the Future! The Fourth Annual High School Invitational Music Festival. Roswell United Methodist Church, 814 Mimosa Boulevard, Roswell. For more information, please call 770-594-7974. 

Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro: Georgia State University Opera Theatre & Symphony Orchestra. 8 p.m. Tickets $22. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) has been among the most-performed operas in the world since its debut in 1786. Plots and subplots, mix-ups and fix-ups, cat-calls and pratfalls abound in a delightful mix of infectious, instantly recognizable melodies and bawdy humor. But this seemingly gauzy operatic confection also explores more serious territory such as the interplay of class, power and privilege, resulting in a profound comedy of the human condition. Set in today’s culture of social networking and ever accelerating technology, this exploration of love in the digital age will be stage directed by Carroll Freeman, accompanied by the Georgia State University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Palmer, and sung in Italian with English supertitles. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

April 18
Clayton State University Chamber Winds and Percussion; Patrick Carney, Conductor. 7:30 p.m. Free. Presented by the Clayton State University Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Music Division. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

Feed Your Senses. Noon - 1 p.m. A Free Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series. Bring your lunch or box lunches will be available for $5. Join your downtown friends for the Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series held monthly at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University. The program features a different artist or speaker each month providing a casual and fun insider's look at his or her craft. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

April 20
Dave Douglas, Jazz Trumpeter with the Georgia State University Jazz Band. 8 p.m. Tickets $22. Two-time GRAMMY-nominated jazz musician Dave Douglas is arguably the most prolific and original trumpeter and composer of his generation and continues to earn lavish national and international acclaim including being named trumpeter, composer, and jazz “Artist of the Year” by everyone from the New York Jazz Awards and Down Beat to Jazz Times and the Italian Jazz Critics’ Society. The Georgia State University Jazz Band, founded over 30 years ago and led by Gordon Vernick, has backed notables like Nicholas Payton, Slide Hampton, David Sánchez, Jon Faddis, Jimmy Heath, and Joe Lovano. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

April 21
Brentano String Quartet. 8:15 p.m. Tickets $50. Mark Steinberg, violin; Serena Canin, violin; Misha Amory, viola; and Nina Lee, cello. Among the world’s elite ensembles, the Brentano String Quartet consistently gives “exemplary performances” yielding “startling musical revelations.” ( The Guardian, London) "It’s hard to communicate the sheer exuberance of these four artists, and the remarkable insight and discipline they brought to works that demanded impeccable musicianship” ( Louisville Courier-Journal). Many Spivey Hall chamber-music fans recall the Brentano’s extraordinary November 2002 Art of the Fugue program that interlaced music of J.S. Bach and ten living composers. This spirit of innovative programming continues with Fragments, a fascinating montage of pieces (often incomplete) by Dufay, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, and Shostakovich serving as inspiration for specially-commissioned companion pieces by Charles Wuorinen, Sofia Gubaidulina, John Harbison, Vijay Iyer, Bruce Adophe and Stephen Hartke. The Fragments commissions are made possible by a consortium of 14 leading presenters, including Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Performances, Da Camera of Houston, Chamber Music Society of Detroit, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts/University of Illinois, The Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College, and Clayton State University’s Spivey Hall. “What the Brentanos do is something beyond exceptional blend, balance, intonation, and ensemble; they seem to act in concert like the muscles of a limb, pulling in various directions yet with a single intent, accomplished in a single gesture” ( San Francisco Classical Voice). Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

The Idan Raichel and Vieux Farka Touré Quartet. 8 p.m. Tickets $42. Two Cultures, One Voice: Israel Meets Mali. The Idan Raichel Project changed the face of Israeli popular music with a message of love that resonates strongly in a part of the world torn by conflict. Blending Ethiopian folk music, Arabic poetry, Yemenite chants, Biblical psalms, and Caribbean rhythms with sophisticated production and spectacular live performances, the Project is led by keyboardist, composer and producer Idan Raichel. Now, the Rialto pairs Rachel’s mesmerizing, global blend of contemporary sounds with one of the most celebrated African guitarists of our time, Vieux Farka Touré, son of the legendary Malian musician Ali Farka Touré, in one of the most unique musical events of the year! Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

April 22
Clayton State University Chorale; Shaun Amos, conductor. 3 p.m. Free. Presented by the Clayton State University Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Music Division. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org .

April 25
Clayton State University Jazz Combo; Stacey Houghton, director. 7:30 p.m. Free. Presented by the Clayton State University Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Music Division. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org .

April 28
Angela Hewitt Piano Master Class. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

Poncho Sanchez & Terence Blanchard. 8 p.m. Tickets $38. “Cubano Be! Cubano Bop!”—a sizzling tribute to the legacy of the original conga king, Chano Pozo, and his famed collaborator, jazz great Dizzy Gillespie—is the love-child of GRAMMY-winning musicians Poncho Sanchez and Terence Blanchard. Conga legend Sanchez and trumpet star Blanchard lead the 11-member Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band in a performance that recreates the bristling energy of the masters’ historic 1947 Carnegie Hall concert for an unforgettable evening of Afro-Cuban standards and fresh new collaborations. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

Steven Wooddell, organ. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $30. Pre-concert Talk 2:15 PM with Richard Morris. A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Steven Wooddell graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts and spent a month studying with Louis Robilliard, in Lyon, France (noted for its 1880 Cavaillé-Coll organ). He then earned his Bachelor of Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Todd Wilson, and his Master of Organ Performance at Southern Methodist University with Larry Palmer. Winner of the 1994 Regional AGO Young Organists Competition in Cincinnati, he was awarded recital appearances throughout Indiana and Ohio. Currently Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church in Rome, Georgia, Steven Wooddell also serves as accompanist for the Shorter Chorale, and is the highly esteemed piano/organ accompanist for the Spivey Hall Young Artists. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

April 29
Angela Hewitt, piano. 3 p.m. Tickets $65. Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt is a phenomenal artist who has established herself at the highest level. Especially prized for her mastery of Bach, she performs and records a broad repertoire, which she illuminates with exceptional intelligence and deeply-felt musicianship. “The richness of her playing lies in the complete merging of structure, tone and poetry; each supports, enlightens and strengthens the others, and becomes indistinguishable from one another” (Berliner Zeitung).
Spivey Hall pianophiles from throughout the Southeast warmly welcome her return. “Ms. Hewitt is one of those rare musicians who seems to get something into their heads and hearts and find it at their fingertips instantaneously” (The New York Times). Program: COUPERIN Pièces de Clavecin; J.S. BACH French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816; FAURÉ Thème et Variations, Op. 73; J.S. BACH The Art of Fugue, Nos. 1 – 4; RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

April 30
Clayton Community Big Band. 7:30 p.m. Free. Presented by the Clayton State University Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Music Division. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

May 5
Covington/Conyers Choral Guild; Roger Waters, musical director/conductor; Joni Jones, assistant director/accompanist. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $15 Adults, $7.50 Students. Following performances at New York’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, throughout the Southeast, and to England and France in July 2011, the Covington/Conyers Choral Guild adds a Spivey Hall debut to its ever-expanding sphere of prestigious concert appearances. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

May 6
The Michael O'Neal Singers. 3 p.m. Tickets $17; $12 students and seniors over age 60+. Let My People Go: A Spiritual Journey along the Underground Railroad. Roswell United Methodist Church, 814 Mimosa Boulevard, Roswell. For more information, please call 770-594-7974.

May 16
Feed Your Senses. Noon - 1 p.m. A Free Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series. Bring your lunch or box lunches will be available for $5. Join your downtown friends for the Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series held monthly at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University. The program features a different artist or speaker each month providing a casual and fun insider's look at his or her craft. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

May 18
Spivey Hall Young Artists; Spivey Hall Children's Choir. 7 p.m. Tickets $20 Adults, $10 children. Spivey Hall Young Artists: Craig Hurley, conductor; Steven Wooddell, piano. Spivey Hall Children’s Choir: Martha Shaw, conductor; Judy Mason, piano. The talents and achievements of all170 Spivey Hall Children’s Choir Program singers are showcased in this culminating spring concert, with pride of place given to the wonderful Spivey Hall Young Artists. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

May 19
Sir Simon Peston, organ. 8:15 p.m. Tickets $50. Among the world’s most celebrated organists, Sir Simon Preston is “a virtuoso, but more importantly, a fine artist of superior musicianship on every count” who performs “an inordinately interesting selection of repertory” with a “flawless sense of style” (San Francisco Examiner). Widely renowned for his superlative performances and acclaimed recordings spanning a brilliant career of almost 50 years, Sir Simon served as artistic director of the prestigious Calgary International Organ Festival & Competitions in 1998 and 2002, whose North American Selections Rounds were proudly hosted by Spivey Hall. His recital marks the 20th anniversary of the dedication concerts of Spivey Hall’s magnificent Albert Schweitzer Memorial Organ, built by Fratelli Ruffatti of Padua, Italy.
“Preston is an artist of remarkable musicality and accomplishment” (Chicago Tribune), “a polished master of the king of instruments, and a superbly sensitive musician to boot” (Washington Star). Dame Gillian Weir is unable to perform as originally scheduled on this day, and will return to Spivey Hall in a future season. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

May 20
Feed Your Senses. Noon - 1 p.m. A Free Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series. Bring your lunch or box lunches will be available for $5. Join your downtown friends for the Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series held monthly at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University. The program features a different artist or speaker each month providing a casual and fun insider's look at his or her craft. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.

Spivey Hall Children's Choir and Spivey Hall Tour Choir. 3 p.m. Tickets $20 Adults; $10 Children. Martha Shaw, conductor. Judy Mason, piano. Singing with unmistakable spirit, refinement, and remarkable beauty of tone and expression, the Spivey Hall Children’s Choir caps off another season in two final concerts. The 50 most advanced of these talented singers, the Tour Choir proudly represents Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, and Georgia in its travels throughout the US and overseas. "These aren’t children – these are artists!" marveled an astonished listener after the Tour Choir’s performance for Chorus America’s 2010 national Conference, hosted by Spivey Hall. Come listen – you’ll be happily amazed, too. Clayton State University, Morrow. For more information, please call 678-466-4200 or visit www.spiveyhall.org . 

June 7
Rialto Visual Arts Series: First Thursday Downtown Arts Walk. 5-8 p.m. Exhibition Hours: M-F 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Free. Come join us on the First Thursday of each month on a self-guided tour and experience the magnificent art being featured at various venues in historic Downtown Atlanta. The Rialto Visual Art Series transforms the Rialto lobby and mezzanine into an exhibition space for projects organized by Karen Comer Lowe. Exhibitions relate to Rialto presentations or city-wide arts initiatives including the National Black Arts Festival and Atlanta Celebrates Photography. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

July 5
Rialto Visual Arts Series: First Thursday Downtown Arts Walk. 5-8 p.m. Exhibition Hours: M-F 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Free. Come join us on the First Thursday of each month on a self-guided tour and experience the magnificent art being featured at various venues in historic Downtown Atlanta. The Rialto Visual Art Series transforms the Rialto lobby and mezzanine into an exhibition space for projects organized by Karen Comer Lowe. Exhibitions relate to Rialto presentations or city-wide arts initiatives including the National Black Arts Festival and Atlanta Celebrates Photography. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

July 18
Feed Your Senses. Noon - 1 p.m. A Free Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series. Bring your lunch or box lunches will be available for $5. Join your downtown friends for the Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series held monthly at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University. The program features a different artist or speaker each month providing a casual and fun insider's look at his or her craft. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.

August 2
Rialto Visual Arts Series: First Thursday Downtown Arts Walk. 5-8 p.m. Exhibition Hours: M-F 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Free. Come join us on the First Thursday of each month on a self-guided tour and experience the magnificent art being featured at various venues in historic Downtown Atlanta. The Rialto Visual Art Series transforms the Rialto lobby and mezzanine into an exhibition space for projects organized by Karen Comer Lowe. Exhibitions relate to Rialto presentations or city-wide arts initiatives including the National Black Arts Festival and Atlanta Celebrates Photography. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.  

August 15
Feed Your Senses. Noon - 1 p.m. A Free Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series. Bring your lunch or box lunches will be available for $5. Join your downtown friends for the Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series held monthly at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University. The program features a different artist or speaker each month providing a casual and fun insider's look at his or her craft. Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-413-9TIX or visit www.rialtocenter.org.