EarRelevant Staff | 15 JUN 2023
The Alpharetta Symphony has announced its 2023-24 Season, the tenth since its founding in 2014. This season features six concerts, including its third annual free Memorial Day concert in downtown Alpharetta, Georgia, and its inaugural Holiday Concert for the people of Alpharetta and North Fulton County.
Alpharetta, where the orchestra is based, is only 25 miles north of Midtown Atlanta, less than 40 minutes drive up I-85 and Georgia SR 400 in the Atlanta metro-area’s northern suburbs.
Founded in 2014, the Alpharetta Symphony performs under the artistic leadership of music director Dr. Grant Gilman. In addition to its orchestral season concerts, the organization offers additional chamber music concerts and regularly collaborates in performances with local arts organizations.
In working towards the Alpharetta Symphony’s mission to provide engaging educational experiences for Alpharetta and greater North Fulton County, the Alpharetta Symphony Youth Orchestra was founded in 2018 and performs four concerts each season. Led by youth orchestra conductor Kim Stocksdale, students ages 12-18 study and perform music from across centuries and continents.
In addition to the Youth Orchestra, the Alpharetta Symphony also offers educational events for school-age children, recently including outdoor drum circles, instrument petting zoos, and sensory-friendly concerts paired with interactive workshops in music, dance, theater, and art.
Here is a rundown of the Alpharetta Symphony’s complete 2023/24 orchestral subscription series, including the final free Memorial Day concert:
Alpharetta Symphony 2023/24 Season
- FRI / SEP 15, 2023 @ 8:00 pm
Alpharetta First United Methodist Church
“Rhapsody in Blue Turns 100” · The season begins with a voyage through the music of George Gershwin, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of his landmark Rhapsody in Blue, with pianist Mac Frampton as soloist. An American in Paris and arias from his folk-opera Porgy and Bess will round out this jazzy concert. - FRI / NOV 3, 2023 @ 8:00 pm
Alpharetta First United Methodist Church
“Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony” · Arguably the most famous piece in all of Western classical music, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, will be in the spotlight for this concert. Also featured is Jennifer Higdon’s ethereal and heart-wrenching Blue Cathedral, and Robert Schumann’s Konzertstücke, featuring four French horn soloists. - FRI / DEC 15, 2023 @ 8:00 pm
(Venue TBD)
“An Alpharetta Holiday” · This is the start of a family favorite holiday tradition for residents of Alpharetta and North Fulton. This lively holiday concert will offer a combination of classical holiday favorites like selections from Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah, and popular seasonal favorites like “Up on the Housetop,” “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” An opportunity to get into the holiday spirit with friends, family, and festive music. - FRI / FEB 23, 2024 @ 8:00 pm
Alpharetta First United Methodist Church
“Girls on Fire: A Celebration of Women in Music” · With this special performance, the Alpharetta Symphony shines a light on the incredible artistry of talented musicians and composers that happen to be women. The concert begins with the Violin Concerto No. 2 by female African-American composer Florence Price, featuring violinist Helen Hwaya Kim as soloist. Rounding out the concert will be Amy Beach’s Gaelic Symphony, the first symphony ever composed and published by an American woman. - FRI / APR 19, 2024 @ 8:00 pm
Alpharetta First United Methodist Church
“Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5” · This concert centers on the Fifth Symphony of Pyotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky. On the lighter side of the program is “Gabriel’s Oboe” from the film The Mission, featuring AS principal oboe Torrence Welch as soloist. The concert will also include the premiere of a composition by a young North Fulton composer, Michael Faire. - MON / MAY 27, 2024 @ 5:00 pm
Brooke Street Park, Alpharetta (free)
“An Ode to America” · The final concert of the 2023-24 Season is the Symphony’s third annual Memorial Day concert in downtown Alpharetta, An Ode to America, to be performed in Brooke Street Park. The concert is free and open to all, and features much-loved patriotic music along with Big Band jazz favorites. selections will also include an arrangement of the The Moody Blues hit song, “Nights in White Satin.”
Season tickets (subscriptions) for the season are on sale now. Subscriptions offer a package of tickets for five concerts (not counting the already free “An Ode to America” concert) for the price of four tickets. Tickets for individual concerts will be available later this summer. For more information about the Alpharetta Symphony’s 2023/24 Season concerts visit alpharettasymphony.org. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Alpharetta Symphony: alpharettasymphony.org
- Grant Gilman: grantgilman.com
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