Spring Commencement 2014

It's a great week on campus. The 2014 Spring Undergraduate Commencement exercise will be held on Friday, May 9, 2014 at 7 p.m. inside Sanford Stadium. Athens is beginning to flow with excited and proud parents, family members as well as the graduates themselves. An exciting time for all involved, and the reason at the center of all activity at the university.

Commencement itself then is a spectacle equal to grandeur of the occasion. And in that spirit, this year will also feature a special musical premiere:

The University of Georgia Wind Ensemble will present the world premiere of "Declarations," a new composition for wind band, during the university's spring undergraduate Commencement on May 9. The piece, composed by past Hugh Hodgson School of Music professor Steve Dancz, will commemorate the final performance of departing director of bands John P. Lynch.

"Steve and I thought it would be particularly meaningful to mark this occasion with a new commission," Lynch said. "We were aiming for something akin to American composer Aaron Copland's ‘Lincoln Portrait': regal, epic and concise, for maximum impact."

So true. 5, 374 students are eligible to walk this spring, and we wish every single one of them the very best in their future endeavors. And as we bid Lynch farewell along with this spring's graduates, the premiere takes on that much more significance. Here's to a great night, to be christened with beautiful new music played by our students.

Image:  Commencement 2010, when UGA moved the Spring Commencement ceremony to an evening event, culminating with a fireworks celebration. Courtesy UGA Photographic services.