The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Mission Statement
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra unites, educates and enriches our community through the engaging and transformative power of orchestral music experiences. The core of our passion is the rich history of symphonic repertoire spanning centuries. We honor this body of work by holding ourselves to the highest artistic aspirations, bringing it to life in new and exciting ways. While we

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Mission Statement
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra unites, educates and enriches our community through the engaging and transformative power of orchestral music experiences. The core of our passion is the rich history of symphonic repertoire spanning centuries. We honor this body of work by holding ourselves to the highest artistic aspirations, bringing it to life in new and exciting ways. While we pay homage to the great masters, we also seek out new voices that speak to our contemporary landscape. As we perform, we engage the diverse international community of our city, bringing people together in harmony—including our youngest citizens, with extensive opportunities for youth and families to fall in love with music.

Overview
Now in its 81st season, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is one of America's leading orchestras, known for the excellence of its live performances and presentations, renowned chorus, and award-winning recordings. The ASO presents more than 150 concerts each year, including the Delta Classical Series, Delta Atlanta Symphony Hall Live, Movies in Concert, Family Concerts, Coca-Cola Holiday series and many community, education, and virtual concerts. Through these combined concert series and programs, the ASO reaches more than half a million people in over 30 countries each year.

The ASO began as a youth orchestra in 1945, under the direction of Henry Sopkin. By 1951, the Orchestra evolved into one of professional musicians, known as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. In 1968, under legendary conductor Robert Shaw, the ASO became a division of the newly formed Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, Inc., and in 1970, Shaw formed the world-renowned 200+ voice, all-volunteer ASO Chorus.
In 2001, Robert Spano joined the ASO as its fourth music director. He served in that capacity for 21 years, concluding his tenure at the end of the 2021/22 season. The Atlanta School of Composers (ASC) evolved from a continuing commitment by Spano and the ASO to nurture, commission and record contemporary music through multi-year partnerships with a new generation of American composers, including Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Theofanidis, Osvaldo Golijov, Michael Gandolfi, and Adam Schoenberg.

Nathalie Stutzmann became the ASO's fifth music director in the 2022/23 season, to much acclaim. Her tenure has just been extended through to 2029.

During its 31-year history with Telarc, the ASO recorded more than 100 albums. Its recordings have won 27 Grammy Awards in categories including Best Classical Album, Best Orchestral Performance, Best Choral Performance, and Best Opera Performance. The ASO also frequently hosts the world’s finest musicians on its stages. In the most recent three seasons alone, guest artists featured in the ASO’s Delta Classical Series have included Lang Lang, Midori, Hilary Hahn, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma and Renée Fleming.

Finally, as a leading cultural organization in the Southeast, the ASO serves as the cornerstone for artistic development and music education in the region, bringing the joy and power of music to over 75,000 children through Family Concerts, Students at the Symphony field trips, Music for the Very Young, and more. Two hallmark ASO student musician training programs celebrate major anniversaries this season: the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra celebrates 50 years of training Atlanta’s most promising young musicians, and the Talent Development Program – one of the longest-running musical education diversity programs in the country – turns 30.

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