Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Orchestras
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, currently in its 66th season, is one of America’s leading orchestras, known for the excellence of its live performances and presentations, renowned choruses, and impressive list of Grammy® Award-winning recordings. The Orchestra performs more than 200 concerts each, including educational and community concerts.
As the leading cultural organization in the Southeast, the Atlanta Symphony serves as the region’s cornerstone for artistic development and music education. Music Director Robert Spano’s Atlanta School of Composers reflects the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s commitment to nurturing and championing music through multi-year partnerships defining a new generation of American composers, notably Michael Gandolfi, Osvaldo Golijov, Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Theofanidis, and Adam Schoenberg. Now in his 10th season at the Orchestra, Mr. Spano has conducted over 100 concerts featuring contemporary works (composed since 1950), including 16 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra-commissioned world premieres, and five additional world premieres.
The Orchestra’s Theater of a Concert format provides its audience a creative programming mix and innovative visual presentation — a concept introducing different formats, settings, and visual enhancements to the concert experience, such as the first concert-staged performances of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic in November 2008.
During its 32-year history with Telarc, the Orchestra has recorded more than 100 albums, 27 of which have earned Grammy® Awards in categories including Best Classical Album, Best Orchestral Performance, Best Choral Performance and Best Opera Performance. The Atlanta Symphony Chorus has earned nine Grammy Awards for Best Choral Performance, most recently for the Berlioz Requiem in 2005.
A recognized leader and supporter of contemporary American music, the Orchestra recently received the 2007 award for Strongest Commitment to New American Music from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. In addition, Maestro Spano was named Musical America’s 2008 Conductor of the Year.
ASO Presents, the contemporary concerts brand of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, has consistently been ranked in Pollstar magazine’s Top 100 promoters worldwide (based on annual ticket sales). Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park was nominated in 2009 and 2010 by Pollstar Concert Industry Awards as “Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue,” and serves as the Orchestra’s summer home — the Amphitheatre is a not-for-profit performance venue owned and operated by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestra’s Delta Classic Chastain concert series at Chastain Park Amphitheater attracts nearly 100,000 concertgoers every summer.
Stand 2010/2011
