The gem-like Spivey Hall at Clayton State University will present A-list chamber music, robust vocal ensembles and even a ukulele orchestra in its 2015-2016 season.
In the hall’s 25th year as a performance venue, the musical menu will be, as always, eclectic.
The season opens Oct. 10 with Metropolitan Opera soprano Christine Brewer and organist Paul Jacobs of New York's Juilliard School of Music. Jacobs will be playing Spivey's world-famous organ, its 4,413 pipes built and installed by Fratelli Ruffatti of Padua, Italy.
A highlight of the season will be in-demand violinist Joshua Bell, appearing Jan. 31 next year.
These events are among the 40 performances to be staged at the hall by Clayton State University, not including six performances by the Spivey Hall Children’s Choir.
The 392-seat hall has been praised for its intimacy and excellent acoustics. It was built through the efforts of Clayton County residents Emilie Parmalee Spivey and her husband, Walter Boone Spivey, a dentist and successful land developer. (He built the communities at Lake Jodeco and Lake Spivey.)
The Spiveys contributed the lion's share of the $5.2 million hall, which opened in 1991 with violinist Itzhak Perlman.
Here are some highlights of the new Spivey Hall season:
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (Oct. 11)
This 10-member group performs such non-ukulele tunes as “Anarchy in the UK,” as well as such jazz standards as “Misirlou.” Ten ukuleles sounds like a questionable idea, but this band rocks.
The Hot Club of Cowtown (Nov. 14)
The sound of this energetic trio is Austin, Texas by way of Paris, France. They infuse the western swing of Bob Wills with the hot jazz of Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt.
The King's Singers (Nov. 22)
This vocal sextet combines serious musicianship and British humor to provide complete entertainment. They’ve released more than 150 albums since forming in 1968, featuring everything from difficult 20th century music by Penderecki and Ligeti to the American songbook and sacred music.
Joshua Bell (Jan. 31, 2016)
Joshua Bell once played his exquisite repertoire in a Washington, D.C. Metro stop. He will find that the acoustics at Spivey are better.
Born in Bloomington, Indiana, he is based in Manhattan, and was recently appointed music director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (Mar. 19, 2016)
Formed at USC’s Thornton School of Music, this ensemble plays classical instruments, but draws a full panoply of styles from those nylon strings, including bluegrass, baroque, flamenco and rock.
Emerson String Quartet (Mar. 20, 2016)
The Emerson String Quartet, based in New York City, has won nine Grammys since its founding in 1976. The quartet took its name from American philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson.
(Apr. 30, 2016)
The Welsh bass-baritone first made a name for himself singing Mozart’s operas, and has become one of that country’s most famous exports. He made his Atlanta debut at Spivey in 1995.
