Editing Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (section)

==History==
Though earlier organizations bearing the same name date back as far as 1923,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/classical-music-atlanta |title=Classical Music in Atlanta |website=Georgiaencyclopedia.org |date=May 14, 2003 |author=N. Lee Orr |access-date=October 12, 2016}}</ref> thanks largely to the efforts of [[Josephine Fields Sanders]], the orchestra was officially founded in 1945 and played its first concert as the [[Atlanta Youth Symphony]] under the direction of [[Henry Sopkin]], a [[Chicago]] music educator who remained its conductor until 1966. The organization changed to its current name in 1947 and soon began attracting well known soloists such as [[Isaac Stern]] and [[Glenn Gould]]. In 1967, with the departure of Sopkin, [[Robert Shaw (conductor)|Robert Shaw]] (founder of the [[Robert Shaw Chorale]]) became the music director, and a year later the orchestra became full-time. In 1970, Shaw founded a [[choir]], the [[Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus]]. In 1988, [[Yoel Levi]] became music director and principal conductor. Under him, the orchestra played ''[[Summon the Heroes]]'' composed and conducted by [[John Williams]] at the opening and closing ceremonies of the [[1996 Summer Olympics|Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics]] in Atlanta. Levi became music director [[emeritus]] in 2000, and was succeeded as music director by [[Robert Spano]]. [[Allison Vulgamore]] was hired as president of the orchestra in 1993, remaining in the role until 2009.<ref name="Grove">{{cite book|title=The Grove Dictionary of American Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UQiiDAEACAAJ|date=January 2013|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=978-0-19-531428-1}}</ref>  The current executive director of the ASO is Jennifer Barlament, since January 2016.

The orchestra toured Europe under Yoel Levi in 1991; and with its chorus, under Robert Shaw, in 1988. In 2006 the orchestra and its chamber chorus, under Robert Spano, served as the resident ensemble for California's Ojai Festival. The full ASO Chorus has thrice visited Berlin, giving three performances on each occasion of [[Benjamin Britten]]'s ''[[War Requiem]]'' (2003), [[Hector Berlioz]]'s ''[[Requiem (Berlioz)|Grande Messe des Morts]]'' (2008), and [[Johannes Brahms]]'s ''[[Ein Deutsches Requiem]]'' (2009) with the [[Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra]] under ASO Principal Guest Conductor [[Donald Runnicles]].

Since 2005, the orchestra had been actively planning for the construction of a new principal concert hall.  In 2008, the ASO opened its new 12,000-seat [[Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park]] in north Fulton County in the town of [[Alpharetta, Georgia|Alpharetta]], some 22 miles north of Atlanta, where it presents concerts of its own as well as those by various pops groups. Encore Park and the Amphitheatre are owned by the Woodruff Arts Center, the ASO's parent organization. Including Encore Park and its activities at Atlanta Symphony Hall and Chastain Park, the ASO expects to present more than 300 performances annually.  With a budget expected to increase to US$50 million with the completion of its new Amphitheatre, the ASO has become one of the six or seven largest orchestras in America, by budget size.  The ASO's budget includes not only the costs of production, along with musician and staff salaries and benefits, but also the orchestra's very significant expenditures on education, community outreach, special events and fundraising.

Past assistant conductors of the ASO have included [[Joseph Young (conductor)|Joseph Young]].  The current associate conductor of the ASO is Jerry Hou.  One noted past ASO member was [[Jane Little (musician)|Jane Little]], who debuted as a [[double bass]]ist in Atlanta on February. 4, 1945, at the age of 16.<ref>{{Cite news| title = Meet the 87-year-old bassist who just made symphony history| first= Geoff | last = Edgers| newspaper = The Washington Post| date = February 5, 2016| access-date = May 16, 2016| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/meet-the-87-year-old-bassist-who-just-made-symphony-history/2016/02/05/858cec4c-cb8e-11e5-ae11-57b6aeab993f_story.html| quote = The Atlanta Symphony bassist now held the world record for longest tenure with an orchestra.}}</ref>  Said to be the longest-tenured orchestra musician in the world, Little remained a member of the ASO for the rest of her life until her death on May 15, 2016 at age 87, a few hours after collapsing during an ASO concert.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Woman who held record for longest tenure with an orchestra collapses on stage, dies| last1 = Berlinger | first1 = Joshua| last2 = Marco | first2 = Tony | work = Cable News Network| date = May 16, 2016| access-date = May 17, 2016| url = http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/16/us/jane-little-atlanta-symphony-orchestra/index.html| quote = Jane Little, a bassist who held the Guinness World Record for the longest professional tenure with a single orchestra, died Sunday night after collapsing on stage during a performance earlier that afternoon.}}</ref>

In December 2020, [[Nathalie Stutzmann]] first guest-conducted the ASO.  She returned in February 2021 for an additional guest-conducting engagement, in a streamed quarantine concert.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.artsatl.org/review-nathalie-stutzmann-returns-to-guest-conduct-the-atlanta-symphony/ | title=Review: Nathalie Stutzmann returns to guest conduct the Atlanta Symphony | work=ArtsATL | author=Jordan Owen | date=2021-02-19 | accessdate=2021-10-13}}</ref>  In October 2021, the ASO announced the appointment of Stutzmann as its next music director, effective with the 2022-2023 season, with an initial contract of four years.  Stutzmann is the first female conductor to be named music director of the ASO.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.aso.org/assets/doc/ASO-Announcing-Nathalie-Stutzmann-Fifth-Music-Director-d0fc2dfbb9.pdf | title=Nathalie Stutzmann Is Named Fifth Music Director of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra | publisher=Atlanta Symphony Orchestra | date=13 October 2021 | access-date=2021-10-13}}</ref>

The orchestra was featured on [[R.E.M.]]'s 1991 album ''[[Out of Time (album)|Out of Time]]'', most notably on "[[Losing My Religion]]".<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/13/arts/the-pop-life-122791.html "The Pop Life"] – ''[[New York Times]]'', March 13, 1991</ref> Members of the orchestra performed with the band on November 10, 1991, when R.E.M. recorded a special live performance of "Losing My Religion" for an [[MTV]] 10th Anniversary Special.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JAjC7BSqAA "R.E.M. - "Losing My Religion" (LIVE @ MTV's 10th Anniversary)"] – R.E.M. HQ's official [[YouTube]] channel, November 14, 2014</ref> Members of the orchestra also recorded parts on four songs on R.E.M.'s next album, 1992's ''[[Automatic for the People]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Duxbury |first=Janell R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2-wyCE21VEQC&dq=automatic+for+the+people+atlanta+symphony+orchestra&pg=PA344 |title=Rockin' the Classics and Classicizin' the Rock:: A Selectively Annotated Discography: Second Supplement |date=2001-02-05 |publisher=Xlibris Corporation |isbn=978-1-4628-0736-9 |pages=344 |language=en}}</ref>