Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Tickets

The ASO became one of the country"s top twenty-five orchestras. He is credited for building ensemble"s image from a youth ensemble to a respected regional orchestra. The Orchestra commissioned new works, began touring, and hosted famous guest artists. Devoted to building the ASO, Sopkin retired in 1966.

By 1947, Atlanta Symphony orchestra had expanded its repertoire and increased its special programs for young people. It also brought top-flight soloists such as Glenn Gould and Isaac Stern to  Atlanta. After a decade or so, the ASO became a founding member of the Atlanta Arts Alliance.

Atlanta Arts Organization is the arts organization that has evolved into today"s Woodruff Arts Center located on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. The Orchestra continued to employ all its musicians on a part-time basis until 1968. A year after the retirement of Henry Sopkin, Robert Shaw headed the ASO as music director and conductor who guided the ASO into a new era of growth.

Robert Shaw created both the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus of around 200 singers and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus. The latter featured a group of 60 voices. Within a few years after his arrival, the AOS season had expanded to include summer concerts, and the musicians had their first year-round contract.

Through extensive touring, appearances at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and Carnegie Hall in New York City, national radio broadcasts, and its first professional recordings Shaw brought the orchestra to national prominence. Full houses and critical acclaim for its performances, the ASO"s national reputation was enhanced.

Robert Shaw is also noted for leading Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in meaningful engagement with the African American community. He brought in many African Americans as guest conductors and performers, and forging relationships with the predominantly black colleges of the Atlanta University Center.

After his retirement in 1988, he was followed by Yoel Levi. Served as music director till 2000, Levi symbolized the ASO"s increasingly international outlook. In 1991 he led the ASO on its second European tour, performing concerts in fifteen cities, including Vienna and Paris. The ensemble received uniformly enthusiastic responses from critics and audiences alike. The year 1994-95 marked the ASO"s 50th Anniversary Season.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra"s 50th Anniversary season featured special festive events such as a Symphony Celebration open house, two nationwide TV broadcasts, and a successful Northeast tour culminating in New York.

After the retirement of Yoel Levi in 2000, Spano became next music director while Donald Runnicles was named principal guest conductor. Forming a unique creative partnership with senior ASO staff for developing musical programs and other projects, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra featured concerts and recordings that drew admiring reviews from critics.

In February 2003, "A Sea Symphony" by Vaughan Williams won three Grammy awards, and Runnicles"s CD of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana received two Grammy nominations.Atlanta Symphony orchestra"s long and prolific relationship with Telarc has produced a discography of more than 60 recordings. Many of which have earned a shelf full of Grammy awards.

To-date, recordings by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra have drawn international praise, winning an Audio Excellence Award, Gramophone and Ovation Magazine Awards, and many Grammy Awards.

Today, ASO is employing nearly 100 full-time musicians and a staff of 65 while most of the ASO"s players regularly volunteer their time for these activities, in partnership with local school systems, arts centers, libraries, and other organizations.