As I approach the final concerts of my tenure with the ASO, I find myself flooded with memories. With the bookend years as Music Director Designate and as Co-Artistic Advisor, it has been my great honor to have made music with the incomparable musicians of the ASO for twenty-two years. …

by Michael Kurth The end of the 2021/22 ASO season gives us the opportunity to thank six long-time musicians for their combined 281 years of bringing joy to Atlanta, and indeed the world, through their music. …

TDP Fellow Spotlight: Gabriel Silva We caught up with current Fellow, trombonist and rising 10th grader Gabriel Silva. What was it like going through the TDP audition process? It’s a very simple and tranquil process. Although I had to audition online due to the pandemic, the TDP staff presents the students with tons of reassurance…

One woman’s ingenious plan to establish Atlanta’s first professional orchestra — By James Paulk In March 2022, Josephine F. Sanders was inducted into the Georgia Women’s Hall of Fame. Learn more about her on the Georgia Women of Achievement’s website. On February 4th, 1945, the Atlanta Music Club sponsored…

How an unusual concert brought the signature dramatic flair of “Music’s Wonder Woman” to Atlanta Symphony Hall — by James Paulk In November of 1976, Sarah Caldwell became the first woman to conduct the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, leading an imaginative program which garnered rave reviews. The invitation had come from ASO Music Director Robert Shaw, an admirer of Caldwell with whom he had worked at Tanglewood. …

by Douglas Shadle “She draws from all these musical languages — the Romanticism of Tchaikovsky and Brahms, the spirituals and the Juba dance. She’s inspired by the different styles but then how she expands upon them, makes them her own, and then weaves them together into a cohesive piece is…

By Michael Kurth I recently spent time talking with Alvin Singleton, who served as the ASO’s Composer-in-Residence under Robert Shaw from 1985–88. The ASO has performed many of Singleton’s works since then, and recorded several, including After Fallen Crumbs, written in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

by Noel Morris 1. The “Hallelujah” chorus isn’t Christmas music — or wasn’t. It’s one of the top downloads during the Christmas season, yet it was actually written for Easter. The “Hallelujah” chorus proclaims Christ’s Resurrection and makes a splendorous finale to Part Two of Messiah. It was early in…

by Phil Kloer The arts play a key role in building vibrant, healthy communities. But arts institutions can only play that role if they have the means. Enter the donors. Big ones and small ones, whales and minnows, one-and-dones and monthly contributors. …