This week, the University of Georgia Performing Arts Center kicks off its 2018–’19 season, which features a schedule full of popular performers, many of whom have never before graced a local stage. The current program was put together by recently hired director Jeffrey Martin, who worked at Brigham Young University for 10 years before coming to UGA in November.

The PAC’s season opens with an appearance Friday, Sept. 7 by Tony Award-winning actress and musician Renée Elise Goldsberry, of Hamilton fame, and closes out the calendar year with performances by “American Idol” finalist David Archuleta and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jane Lynch. Others slated to perform this season include ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro, composer Max Richter performing music from “The Leftovers,” South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, string and hip-hop group Black Violin and more.

Martin says his goal is to bring those who wouldn’t normally attend a concert into the Performing Arts Center. For his first year, he says he scheduled artists who are well-known in popular culture in order to draw the attention of all students, not just those who are already educated in what the center has to offer.

Jeffrey Martin

“Of course we value those who regularly attend our shows, but I feel like there’s a lot of people who don’t know about us,” Martin says. “I try to offer diverse programming that will appeal to different tastes.”

This change in direction represents a new look for the Performing Arts Center. Bobby Tyler, the PAC’s marketing and media relations director, says he is looking forward to the upcoming season. “What’s exciting about Jeff is that he’s broadening the program,” Tyler says. “Now, there’s truly something for everyone.”

Tyler, who is the only employee who has been at the Performing Arts Center since it opened in 1996, says he thought he would move on to something else after the center found its footing. Instead, he became captivated by Athens and has lived here for almost 23 years. Part of his decision to stay was due to the diversity of lifestyles and ways of thought he found in the city.

“We’ve got so much to choose from in Athens, and that’s why people like it here,” Tyler says. “I think Jeff saw that, and it’s reflected in his programming.”

In addition to contemporary folk artists like Steep Canyon Rangers, the PAC will also host world-renowned classical acts, such as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic String Quartet.

While the Performing Arts Center serves the community as a source of education and entertainment, its primary function is still to serve as a performance hall for the School of Music next door. The center will host the UGA Symphony Orchestra and the UGA Hodgson Wind Ensemble this season, as well as smaller ensembles and solo performers throughout the year.

“When we created the center, we wanted to provide the best possible place for our students to perform,” Tyler says. “Many nationally known ensembles have said they sound better in our concert hall than they do in their own.”

Whether it hosts world-renowned classical artists, pop icons or UGA students, its new director says the Performing Arts Center’s purpose is to make quality music accessible to the Athens community. “We celebrate the talent of our students while also bringing the world to Athens,” Martin says. “We want to enrich the lives of the community in a real way.”

For the full PAC schedule, see pac.uga.edu.