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AT L A N TA SY M P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A

NOVEMBER 2026

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I N T R O D U C T I O N S In Tune. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Music Director.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 ASO Musicians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Electric, Enthusiastic Audiences the Highlight of ASYO’s Spanish Tour. . . . 14 N OT E S

O N

T H E

P R O G R A M

November 5/7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 November 12/14/15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 November 19/21. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 D E PA R T M E N T S

Electric, Enthusiastic Audiences the Highlight of ASYO’s Spanish Tour By Jon Ross

ASO Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Henry Sopkin Circle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 ASO Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 The Woodruff Circle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

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E N C O R E M AG A Z I N E .C O M

P U B L I S H E R

Brantley Manderson brantley@encoremagazine.com SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR NASHVILLE

Kelli Dill kelli@encoremagazine.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR CHARLOTTE

Hila Johnson hila@encoremagazine.com

E D I TO R

I N

C H I E F

Robert Viagas robert@encoremagazine.com

G R A P H I C

D E S I G N E R

Tamara Hooks tamara@encoremagazine.com

D I G I TA L

M E D I A

D I R E C TO R

Jennifer Nelson jennifer@encoremagazine.com P R O G R A M

P R O D U C E R

Whitney Hendrix Whitney.Hendrix@atlantasymphony.org

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Hila Johnson hila@encoremagazine.com

4 | encore ASO | IN TUNE DEAR FRIENDS,

TODD HALL

Welcome to November at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra! This month we mark a special occasion as we host our Artist-in-Residence for the 202627 season, the powerhouse pianist Anna Geniushene. A second-prize winner in the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Anna is known both for her interpretations of the core solo concerto repertoire on concert stages around the world, and for her inventive solo and duo recitals and recordings. In the past several years she and Nathalie Stutzmann have developed a special artistic bond. Over the course of this season, we will hear Anna perform works by Brahms, Schumann and Rachmaninoff. In addition to performances with the ASO, she will also perform with our Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, give masterclasses, and more. This month we also welcome the tremendous musicians of our Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus for Gabriel Fauré’s beloved Requiem. Our chorus is second to none, and there is no greater interpreter of the French orchestral-choral repertoire than Nathalie, whose past career as one of the world’s great contraltos gives her special insight into this work. Finally, November is also a month to celebrate our Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. They’ll have their Overture concert on November 8th, and I hope you will join us. Tickets are free, and if you haven’t heard the ASYO, I think you’ll be invigorated and inspired by the work they do at a very high level. You’ll read more about them in our article this month (page 14). As we approach Thanksgiving and get into holiday mode, please know that we are grateful for you, our audience, for making the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra part of your lives.

With gratitude,

Jennifer Barlament, Executive Director

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ASO | NATHALIE STUTZMANN Nathalie Stutzmann has been the Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 2022. From 2021 to 2024, she was Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra and will take the helm of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo in 2027/28, becoming their Artistic and Musical Director. In the 2026/27 season, Nathalie Stutzmann appears as Guest Conductor with the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Munich Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and will make her debut at Opéra national de Paris with Werther. Recent engagements include the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Orchestre de Paris. In the upcoming season, Nathalie Stutzmann joins forces with soloists including Janine Jansen, Seong-Jin Cho, Beatrice Rana, Benjamin Grosvenor and Anna Geniushene amongst others. Following her debut at the Bayreuth Festival in 2023 with Tannhäuser, she was subsequently named Best Conductor of the Year at the 2024 Oper! Awards. Since then, she has firmly established herself as a major interpreter of Wagner operas. This past summer saw her return to the Festival at the helm of Rienzi for its historic premiere in the Festspielhaus. Nathalie Stutzmann is an exclusive Warner Classics artist. With the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, she recently released Bruckner Symphony No. 4 in July 2026. Her previous album with the ASO, dedicated to Dvořák, received OPUS Klassik nominations for Best Conductor and Best Symphonic Recording of the Year. Nathalie Stutzmann studied conducting in Finland with Jorma Panula. She grew up as a pianist, cellist and bassoon player. As a contralto, she has made more than 80 recordings and received numerous international accolades. MUSIC DIRECTOR'S CORNER She is a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, Commandeur dans Recently, Nathalie Stutzmann was l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, nominated “Conductor of the Year” and in 2025 was appointed an for the 2026 International Opera Honorary Member of the Royal Awards, following a successful Academy of Music. return to Bayreuth Festival in a new production of Rienzi. Stutzmann conducts her first concert with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo this December as their new Music Director.

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Nathalie Stutzmann

2026/27 Musician Roster

music director

FIRST VIOLIN

SECOND VIOLIN

CELLO

David Coucheron

Anastasia Agapova-Lacomba

concertmaster

principal

Daniel Laufer acting / associate principal

The Mr. & Mrs. Howard R. Peevy Chair

The Atlanta Symphony Associates Chair

The Miriam & John Conant Chair

Justin Bruns*

Sou-Chun Su*

acting associate / assistant

associate concertmaster

associate principal

principal

The Charles McKenzie Taylor Chair

The Frances Cheney Boggs Chair

The Livingston Foundation Chair

Lauren Roth-Gómez acting associate / assistant

Jay Christy

Thomas Carpenter

concertmaster

principal

Jun-Ching Lin

Rachel Ostler*

assistant concertmaster

Robert Anemone

Kevin Chen Carolyn Toll Hancock The Wells Fargo Chair

Juan R. Ramírez Hernández Kelly Kanai John Meisner Christopher Pulgram Olga Shpitko Kenn Wagner Lisa Wiedman Yancich Jin Wook Suk

acting associate / assistant

David Dillard Paul Halberstadt Eun Young Jung Eleanor Kosek Huiying Ma Julia Su Yaxin Tan

The Robert Reid Topping Chair

Karen Freer

Joel Dallow The UPS Foundation Chair

Ray Kim Isabel Kwon Gabriella McClellan Nathan Mo Brad Ritchie BASS Joseph McFadden principal

The Marcia & John Donnell Chair

VIOLA

Gloria Jones Allgood

Zhenwei Shi

The Lucy R. & Gary Lee Jr. Chair

principal

Sissi Yuqing Zhang

The Edus H. & Harriet H. Warren Chair

SECTION VIOLIN ‡

Paul Murphy

associate principal

Karl Fenner Michael Kurth The Jane Little Chair

associate principal

Jungsu Lee

Raymond Leung

The Mary & Lawrence Gellerstedt Chair

Nicholas Scholefield

The Carolyn McClatchey Chair

Catherine Lynn

Judith Cox

Daniel Tosky

assistant principal

FLUTE

Marian Kent

Christina Smith

Yang-Yoon Kim

principal

Lachlan McBane

The Jill Hertz Chair The Mabel Dorn Reeder Honorary Chair

Jessica Oudin

Robert Cronin

Madeline Sharp

associate principal

Yiyin Li

C. Todd Skitch second flute

Gina Hughes piccolo / flute

William R. Langley resident conductor &

atlanta symphony youth

Norman Mackenzie

Finan Jones

director of choruses

assistant conductor

The Frannie & Bill Graves Chair

orchestra music director

The Zeist Foundation Chair

OBOE

HORN

TIMPANI

Elizabeth Koch Tiscione

Ryan Little

Jake Darnell

principal

The George M. & Corrie Hoyt Brown Chair

The Betty Sands Fuller Chair

The Walter H. Bunzl Chair

Zachary Boeding

Andrew Burhans

Michael Stubbart

associate principal

assistant principal timpani /

Kimberly Gilman

section percussion

second horn

PERCUSSION

associate principal

The Kendeda Fund Chair

William Dunlop second oboe

Emily Brebach english horn / oboe CLARINET Jesse McCandless principal

The Robert Shaw Chair

Alcides Rodriguez

acting associate principal / e - flat

Iván Valbuena second clarinet

BASSOON Cameron Bonner principal

The Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation Chair

Anthony Georgeson associate principal

Sam Blair second bassoon

Juan de Gomar contrabassoon / bassoon

Scott Sanders fourth horn

TRUMPET Elmer Churampi principal trumpet

Joseph Petrasek principal

The Julie & Arthur Montgomery Chair

Michael Jarrett

The Madeline & Howell Adams Chair assistant principal The William A. Schwartz Chair

Michael Tiscione

associate principal

William Cooper second trumpet

Mark Maliniak utility / fourth trumpet TROMBONE Craig Mulcahy

Michael Stubbart The Connie & Merrell Calhoun Chair

HARP Elisabeth Remy Johnson principal

The Sally & Carl Gable Chair

principal trombone

KEYBOARD

The Terence L. Neal Chair, Honoring his dedication & service to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

The Hugh & Jessie Hodgson Memorial Chair

Nathan Zgonc second / associate principal /

Shih-Man Weng †

utility trombone

The Home Depot Veterans Chair

Chance Gompert bass trombone

TUBA Michael Moore principal

The Delta Air Lines Chair

David Mamedov † LIBRARY Emma Luty principal

The Marianna & Solon Patterson Chair

Sara Baguyos associate principal

James Nelson GUEST CONDUCTOR Neil and Sue Williams Chair

Players in rotating sections are listed alphabetically. ‡ Rotates between sections | * Leave of absence | † Regularly engaged musician

10 | encore ASO | LEADERSHIP | 2026/27 Board of Directors OFFICERS Angela Evans

Joia Johnson

Janine Brown

chair

treasurer

vice chair

Patrick Viguerie

Galen Oelkers

Lynn Eden

immediate past chair

secretary

vice chair

DIRECTORS Cathy Callaway Adams

Angela Evans

Donna Lee

William Schultz

Juliet M. Allan

Craig Frankel

Grace Lee, M.D.

June Scott

Susan Antinori

Sally Bogle Gable

Sukai Liu

V Scott

Rona Gomel Ashe

Anne Game

Jonathan Lively

Charles Sharbaugh

Carol Attridge

Rod Garcia-Escudero

Kevin Lyman

Gayle Sheppard

Andrew Bailey

Sally Frost George

Deborah Marlowe

Fahim Siddiqui

Jennifer Barlament*

Robert Glustrom

Rob McDonough

John Sparrow

Keith Barnett

Julie Goosman

Arthur Mills IV

Elliott Tapp

Brett Bartlett

Bonnie B. Harris

Molly Minnear

Yannik Thomas

Paul Blackney

Charles Harrison

Hala Moddelmog*

Maria Todorova

Gerry Boudreau

Tad Hutcheson, Jr.

Caroline Moïse

Ben Touchette

Janine Brown

Roya Irvani

Anne Morgan

Benny Varzi

Betsy Camp

Joia M. Johnson

Terence L. Neal

S. Patrick Viguerie

Lisa Chang

Baxter Jones

Galen Lee Oelkers

Kathy Waller

Russell Currey

Raymond Kotwicki, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. John Paddock

Chris Webber

Margie Painter

Richard S. White, Jr.

Carlos del Rio, M.D., FIDSA

Jeff Kuester

Cathleen Quigley

Mack Wilbourn

Carrie Kurlander

Doug Reid

Lisa DiFrancesco, M.D.

Scott Lampert

James Rubright

Kevin E. Woods, M.D., M.P.H.

Lynn Eden

James H. Landon

Ravi Saligram

Yelena Epova

Daniel Laufer*

Sheila Lee Davies

BOARD OF COUNSELORS Neil Berman

John T. Glover

Shelley McGehee

G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr.

Benjamin Q. Brunt

Dona Humphreys

Penelope McPhee

Ray Uttenhove

John W. Cooledge, M.D. Aaron J. Johnson, Jr.

Howard D. Palefsky

Chilton Varner

John R. Donnell, Jr.

James F. Kelley

Patricia H. Reid

Adair M. White

Jere A. Drummond

Patricia Leake

Joyce Schwob

Sue Sigmon Williams

Carla Fackler

Karole F. Lloyd

John A Sibley III

Charles B. Ginden

Meghan H. Magruder

H. Hamilton Smith

LIFE DIRECTORS Howell E. Adams, Jr. John B. White, Jr. * Ex-Officio Board Member ^ On Sabbatical

Connie Calhoun

Azira G. Hill

Ben F. Johnson III

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The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Advisory Council is comprised of community leaders that serve as advocates for the ASO and thought partners to the ASO’s Board of Directors and Staff. Through participation in its programs and task forces, members are committed to the Orchestra’s continued success. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra extends heartfelt gratitude to the members listed on this page. 2026/27 CHAIRS Jane Morrison advisory council chair

Justin Im internal connections

co-chair Kristi Stathopoulos

internal connections co-chair

Jane Blount patron experience co-chair

Gregory Heathcock patron experience co-chair

Tiffany Rosetti

community connections & education co-chair

Otis Threatt

community connections &

education co-chair MEMBERS Dr. Marshall & Stephanie Abes Phyllis Abramson Joel & Toni Adler Kristi & Aadu Allpere Logan Anderson & Ian Morey Evelyn Babey Asad & Sakina Bashey Meredith W. Bell John Blatz Jane Blount Carol Brantley & David Webster Johanna Brookner Mrs. Amy B. Cheng & Dr. Chad A. Hume, Ph.D JC Chi Tracey Chu Bruce Cohen Kate Cook DePorres & Barbara Cormier

Mary Caroline Cravens & Will Sugden Daniel P. DeBonis Donald & Barbara Defoe Paul & Susan Dimmick Bernadette Drankoski Xavier Duralde & Mary Barrett John & Catherine Fare Dyer Jerry H. Evans Mary Ann Flinn Bruce & Avery Flower Karen Foster Annie Frazer John D. Fuller Alex Garcias Dr. Paul Gilreath Nadeen Green Deedee Hamburger & Dr. Steven M. Gallant Greg Heathcock & Cesar Moreno Elizabeth Hendrick Caroline Hofland Desmond L. Hollingsworth Justin Im Dr. Lillian Ivansco Frank & Janice Johnston Lana Jordan Jennifer B. Kahnweiler Rosthema Kastin Andrea Kauffman Alfred D. Kennedy & Bill Kenny Brian & Ann Kimsey Jason & Michelle Kroh Pam Kuester Van & Elizabeth Lear Dr. Fulton Lewis III & Mr. Neal Rhoney Robert Lewis, Jr.

Allen & Judy Lipis Eunice Luke Catherine & Bill Lundstrom Thomas Mabry Erin Marshall Alfredo Martin Belinda Massafra Catherine Massey Doug & Kathrin Mattox Ed & Linda McGinn Suneel Mendiratta Berthe & Shapour Mobasser Bert Mobley Maria & Chris Moffett Jamal Mohammad & Marcus Dean Sue Morgan Bill Morrison & Beth Clark-Morrison Jane Morrison Whitney Myers John & Christina Nail Gary Noble Regina Olchowski Bethani Oppenheimer Joseph Owen, Jr. Ralph & Suzanne Paulk Ann & Fay Pearce Jonathan & Lori Peterson Stephen Polley Doug Powell & Alexandra Miller Dr. John B. Pugh Eliza Quigley Joseph Rapanotti Leonard Reed Dr. Jay & Kimberley Rhee Vicki Riedel Felicia Rives

Angela Robinson Susan J. Robinson & Mary C. Roemer David Rock Frances A. Root Maurice & Tricia Rosenbaum Tiffany & Rich Rosetti Noelle Ross Thomas & Lynne Saylor Beverly & Milton Shlapak Suzanne Shull Rev. Jeanne S. Simpson Baker Smith Cindy Smith Janice Smith Victoria Smith Peter & Kristi Stathopoulos Tom & Ani Steele Deann Stevens Ian Steward Beth & Edward Sugarman Stephen & Sonia Swartz Sadie Talmadge George & Amy Taylor Bob & Dede Thompson Otis Threatt, Jr. Cathy Toren Roxanne Varzi Robert & Amy Vassey Juliana Vincenzino Nadine Virani & Reza Kaba Emily C. Ward James Washburn Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Kiki Wilson Dr. Jiong Yan Camille Yow Peter Zimmerman

For more information about becoming an Advisory Council member, please contact Beth Freeman at beth.freeman@atlantasymphony.org or 404.733.4532.

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We are deeply grateful to the following leadership donors whose generous support has made the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's season possible.

Electric, Enthusiastic Audiences the Highlight of ASYO’s Spanish Tour By Jon Ross

fter the second encore—or maybe it was the third—the Spanish audience started clapping in a Flamenco rhythm, displaying an exuberance, a hunger for more, that a simple ovation couldn’t convey. Sitting on stage at the Teatro Auditorio Riberas de Guadaíra in Seville, heads spinning thinking of what to play to reward their listeners, the musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra simply beamed. None of them had ever heard an audience beg for four encores. “It was probably the most electric thing I’ve ever been a part of,” remembered bassoonist Connor Stewart. “The Spanish crowd is something else. They never let you stop,” trumpeter Nick Danford added. In fact, during the group’s final performance, at the 75th International Granada Festival of Music and Dance, the crowd went wild until the musicians played six encores. “It’s exhilarating. You can’t stop smiling, and they can’t stop smiling at you.”

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The 117-member Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra performed in Seville and Granada as part of a 10day, four-concert European sojourn, the group’s first international tour in nearly 20 years. After a June 5 performance in Valladolid at the Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes to start the trip, it was on to Seville and two concerts in Granada before heading back to Atlanta. In between those performances, musicians had plenty of time for tourist activities or to just wander around town, basking in the culture of a Spanish summer. For many of the musicians, the trip marked their first time out of the country. “It was exciting, and it was almost overwhelming, but in a good way,” Tyler Landers, who plays tuba, said. He balanced trying to experience Spain and see all the tourist sites in each city with preparing for concerts at night, learning eventually to pace himself and conserve enough energy for performances. “It was exciting, and it was almost overwhelming, but in a good way,” he said. Led by William Langley, the ASYO took a program of Verdi, Ravel and Tchaikovsky to each city. Langley prepped two encores with the musicians—“Aunt Marge’s Waltz” from the “Harry Potter” films and Brahms’ First Hungarian dance—but he certainly didn’t anticipate needing additional repertoire. “We seriously were not prepared for more, and so we had to start cycling back through our music,” Langley said. “The audiences were incredibly warm and inviting,” he continued. “We were thrilled to see each hall that we played in just totally packed.” These rapt listeners, audience members intent on hearing everything the students performed, also seemed a bit taken aback at the age of the musicians. They couldn’t believe the ASYO wasn’t a professional orchestra, said Langley, who characterized the trip as a resounding success. For many of the musicians, the Spain trip marked their first time on tour. Outside of the friendly confines of Symphony Hall, where they rehearse around 30 times each season and perform three concerts, they were forced out of their comfort zones, adapting to the acoustic peculiarities of each venue (including a castle courtyard).

“I saw a lot of people in real time, quickly gathering what was going on in the situation, and we were able to just get right into the music,” Langley said. “So no time was wasted. I’m thrilled that all of our hard work at home paid off abroad.” And when things didn’t go as planned—Langley remembered well the lack of air conditioning in the scorching venue in Seville—the musicians learned to adapt. “They are just kind of unfazed,” he said. “They’re like ‘How are we going to make this work?’ Because there’s no other choice than to make it work and do our best.” Take out the European sightseeing and the chance to perform for foreign crowds full of admiration, and the greatest asset of the Spanish tour may have been the chance for the ASYO members to get to know their fellow musicians. Danford said that he doesn’t get a chance to really talk with musicians from other sections; the only time they see each other is at rehearsal or during a performance, when there’s a job at hand. “On this trip, we were so close, and for so long, that we just made friends, we made connections,” he said. “The people that I met on that trip will probably be lifelong friends.” With all these new connections and experiences, what’s the first thing Danford did when he got back to Atlanta? “I went home,” he said, “and I slept for a day.”

18 | november5/7 The 4,225th and 4,226th concerts of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Thursday, November 5, 8:00pm Saturday, November 7, 8:00pm Atlanta Symphony Hall NATHALIE STUTZMANN, CONDUCTOR ANNA GENIUSHENE, PIANO

If you need to exit the hall during the performance, you may reenter between works.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750) Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068 (1729-1731) 20 MINS I. Overture II. Air III. Gavotte I & II IV. Bourrée V. Gigue JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 (1880)

11 MINS

INTERMISSION

20 MINS

JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 83 (1878-1881) 50 MINS I. Allegro non troppo II. Allegro appassionato III. Andante IV. Allegretto grazioso Anna Geniushene, piano

The use of cameras or recording devices during the concert is strictly prohibited. Please be kind to those around you and silence your mobile phone and other hand-held devices.

Thursday’s concert is dedicated to PATTY & DOUG REID in honor of their extraordinary support of the 2025/26 Annual Fund. Saturday’s concert is dedicated to MARGIE PAINTER in honor of her extraordinary support of the 2025/26 Annual Fund.

notesontheprogram | 19 by Noel Morris Program Annotator

Notes to Know • After his death, J.S. Bach went out of fashion. Some of the most noted composers of the 19th century made it their business to stage a revival. In 1850, Robert Schumann, among others, founded the Bach Society to issue a critical edition of the complete Bach works. • Johannes Brahms was a sponge for great tunes. He adored Strauss waltzes and urban Romani music. Months before he died, he spoke excitedly about American ragtime. • Johannes Brahms took daily walks; during that time, many of his best tunes popped into his head. BACH Orchestral Suite No. 3

t’s all in the name. Johann Sebastian Bach gave us two types of orchestral works: the “concerto” from Italy and the “ouverture” from France. He titled his orchestral suites “ouverturen,” which can confuse 21st-century audiences. But to an 18th-century Leipziger, the ouverture was a suite of popular dances. They knew the moves, the musical style, and enjoyed the dances at social gatherings and onstage. The ouverture, or orchestral suite, always began with a big, pompous overture in the French style, marked by snappy dotted rhythms.

First ASO performance: January 29, 1968

Michael Palmer, The orchestral suite goes back to composer Jeanconductor Baptiste Lully, who served Louis XIV at Versailles in Most recent ASO the 17th century. Louis was an ace on the dance floor performance: and required his court composer to write dozens of November 4, 2020 operas and ballets, starring himself (as a rule, French Robert Spano, operas included ballet music). The productions were conductor lavish, but for something a little more low-key, Lully created suites using the overture and dance music from the various shows. The Baroque suite became a popular genre in the early 18th century. Gradually, the concerto took its place, which might explain why J.S. Bach wrote only four dance suites and nearly 30 concertos.

As a rule, the first movement — the overture — of the suite is longer and has two sections: the stately music and a fast

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contrapuntal section. Alas, we only know Bach’s suites from the orchestral parts, mostly copied by other people. Thus, the date of composition is a mystery. The prevailing opinion places the Orchestral Suite No. 3 in Leipzig around 1730 or 1731. At the time, Bach conducted a popular concert series at Zimmermann’s coffee house (concert halls didn’t yet exist). The trumpet parts appeared in a later version, suggesting he performed it more than once. The second movement, Air — as in aria — became one of Bach’s greatest hits. Apple Music offers nearly 1,000 different recordings of this, arranged for everything from organ to brass ensemble, saxophone quartet, and various traditional Chinese instruments. ORCHESTRATION: 2 oboes, bassoon, 3 trumpets, timpani, harpsichord, and strings BRAHMS Academic Festival Overture

ohannes Brahms came from a working-class family in Hamburg. Money was tight. To help make ends meet, “Hannes” quit school at fourteen and headed to the seaport to work as a barroom musician. By all accounts, it was a disreputable place. Despite the antics of drunken sailors, young Brahms did his best to keep his nose in a book.

First ASO performance: February 11, 1950 Henry Sopkin, conductor Most recent ASO performance: June 14, 2014 Joseph Young, conductor

By the time he hit thirty, he was a respectable musician. When he started issuing symphonies, audiences heard his music as far away as New York City. Imagine his surprise when, at age forty-five, the University of Breslau announced its intention to award Brahms an honorary doctorate. The honor came with a strong suggestion that he write a symphony to mark the occasion (which would have been a major acquisition for the university). But Brahms was too much of a free spirit to get boxed into something like that.

To honor the university, he reached back to a happy time as a twenty-something when he hung out with a group of college students and produced one of his most playful scores, filled with popular student drinking songs. The Academic Festival Overture came from the summer of 1880, written in the picturesque spa town of Bad Ischl (“Bad” is the German word for “bath”). That same summer, Brahms

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wrote a companion piece, not unlike the theater masks, Comedy and Tragedy. “The Academic has led me to a second overture which I can only entitle the Dramatic,” he wrote. Over the coming months, he changed the title to Tragic Overture. He conducted the two overtures side by side at the presentation of his honorary doctorate. ORCHESTRATION: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion and strings BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2

ohannes Brahms was known for big-hearted generosity and breathtaking sarcasm. His personal life was a study in keeping people at arm’s length. Biographer Jan Swafford described a dinner given in his honor in which the host raised a glass saying, “I call this the Brahms of my wines,” to which Brahms laughed: “Well, let’s have a bottle of Bach then.”

First ASO performance:

When he finished the Piano Concerto No. 2 in July 1881, Brahms wrote to his friend Elisabet von Herzogenberg that he’d written “a tiny, tiny piano concerto with a tiny, tiny wisp of a scherzo.”

June 1, 2024

January 30, 1954 Henry Sopkin, conductor Joseph Battista, piano Most recent ASO performance: Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor Daniil Trifonov, piano

Nothing could be further from the truth. At fifty minutes, the “Brahms Second” is a behemoth. To this day, pianists count it among the most difficult. And Brahms’ “wisp of a scherzo” is thick and stormy (scherzo typically indicates something playful). Yet, for all its pianistic challenges, this concerto exudes radiance. Covering a range of characters and moods—from vigorous, Romani-style acrobatics to lush Romantic melodies to a sweet lullaby for solo cello—the sunniness prevails. All the passions, joys, and affections Brahms withheld from friends seem to pour forth from this concerto. More than twenty years separate his two piano concertos. The first had been a young man’s piece, a five-year slog involving feedback from friends, especially Clara Schumann, and piles of rewrites. When he debuted the Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1859, the audience hissed.

22 | encore No such drama surrounded the Second Concerto. He began composing the piece in 1878 while on vacation in Italy. By then, he had money; he was self-assured and an international celebrity. He continued to make sketches over summer holidays in picture-postcard locales and then did the real work of composition during the summer of 1881. Perhaps he experienced a sense of arrival because his thoughts turned to the past. As a 12-year-old, Brahms helped support his family by playing the piano in seedy bars. Working in deplorable conditions, he grew as a musician, thanks to the nurture of his piano and composition teacher, Eduard Marxsen, who refused to accept payment from young “Hannes.” Decades later, the paunchy, middle-aged Brahms extended his gratitude through the Second Concerto, “dedicated to his dear friend and teacher Eduard Marxsen.” ORCHESTRATION: 2 flutes (1st doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, solo piano and strings ANNA GENIUSHENE, Artist-in-Residence

nna Geniushene made a powerful impression at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, earning the silver medal with performances praised for their depth, originality, and commanding presence. Recognition followed swiftly—Musical America named her Young Artist of the Month in July 2022, and she graced the cover of Pianist magazine in June 2023, cementing her growing influence on the international stage. Highlights of Geniushene’s upcoming season include solo recital debuts at Carnegie Hall and Vivo Performing Arts. Following a highly successful debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, she returns as Artist-in-Residence, appearing in multiple programs under Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann. In January, Geniushene will appear in recital at the prestigious "Le Piano Symphonique" and make her debut with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orchestre National de Cannes and Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Internationally, her

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upcoming tours feature highly anticipated appearances across Asia, with performances at the Xi’an Concert Hall and the Shanghai Grand Theatre. An avid chamber musician, Geniushene frequently collaborates with husband and acclaimed soloist, Lukas Geniušas. Their joint appearances include the Cliburn Concert Series, performances at the Z+ International Chamber Music Festival and Paris’ historic Salle Cortot. Geniushene’s recording career has earned widespread critical acclaim. Her solo recital album, Opus 1, released on Fuga Libera, explores the first published works of Romantic and 20th-century masters, including Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Berg. This project runs alongside her celebrated duo release on Alpha Classics, Hallelujah Junction, praised by The Guardian for its finely balanced, imaginative playing. Born in Moscow, Geniushene made her recital debut at age seven in the Small Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic. A laureate of major international piano contests, she earned top prizes at the Leeds, Tchaikovsky, and Busoni International Piano Competitions. She currently resides in the Netherlands with her family.

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24 | november12/14/15 The 4,227th, 4,228th and 4,229th concerts of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Thursday, November 12, 8:00pm Saturday, November 14, 8:00pm Sunday, November 15, 3:00pm Atlanta Symphony Hall NATHALIE STUTZMANN, CONDUCTOR ELIJAH MCCORMACK, SOPRANO JULIETTE MEY, MEZZO-SOPRANO LEON KOŠAVIĆ, BARITONE NORMAN MACKENZIE, DIRECTOR OF CHORUSES ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHORUS ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA If you need to exit the hall during the performance, you may reenter between works. The use of cameras or recording devices during the concert is strictly prohibited. Please be kind to those around you and silence your mobile phone and other hand-held devices.

HECTOR BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Selections from La damnation de Faust, Op. 24 (1845-1846) 12 MINS Menuet des follets Ballet des sylphes Marche hongroise HECTOR BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Les nuits d’été, Op. 7 (Summer Nights) (1840-1841) 31 MINS I. Villanelle II. Le spectre de la rose (The Ghost of the Rose) III. Sur les lagunes (On the Lagoons) IV. Absence V. Au cimetière (At the Cemetery) VI. L’île inconnue (The Unknown Island) Juliette Mey, mezzo-soprano INTERMISSION

20 MINS

GABRIEL URBAIN FAURÉ (1845-1924) Requiem, Op. 48 (1877) 36 MINS I. Introit and Kyrie II. Offertorium III. Sanctus IV. Pie Jesu V. Agnus Dei VI. Libera me VII. In paradisum Elijah McCormack, soprano LEON KOŠAVIĆ, baritone ASO Chorus Thursday’s concert is dedicated to DRS. CARLOS DEL RIO & JEANNETTE GUARNER in honor of their generous support of the 2025/26 Annual Fund and the Talent Development Program. This weekend's concerts were made possible in part by a grant from the BARNEY M. FRANKLIN & HUGH W. BURKE CHARITABLE FUND.

notesontheprogram | 25 by Noel Morris Program Annotator

Notes to Know • Hector Berlioz claimed his inability to play piano freed his mind. Indeed, his Symphonie fantastique came just six years after Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, yet they are light-years apart instrumentally and conceptually. • Hector Berlioz wrote a landmark treatise on his highly original approach to orchestration, influencing generations of composers. • Noting the more soothing tone of Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, listeners nicknamed it “Lullaby of Death.” BERLIOZ The Damnation of Faust

ector Berlioz did not color inside the lines. From the outset, he dispensed with the 4- and 8-bar phrases. He exploded the orchestral palette and gave his symphonies an almost cinematic milieu. When he created a dramatic work around Goethe’s Faust, he outgrew the concepts of opera and oratorio. Instead, he called it a “légende dramatique,” and changed Goethe’s ending — Faust is supposed to go to Heaven. To be fair, Goethe doesn’t own the Faust legend. (Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners come to mind.) But Goethe’s version lit a fire in Berlioz, starting in 1828. “I could not put it down, but read it constantly, during meals, at the theatre, in the streets and everywhere,” he said. Immediately, the 24-year-old Berlioz composed and published his “Op. 1,” “Eight Scenes from Faust,” which he soon destroyed. Within two years, the French deposed Charles X, and Berlioz scored his first hit. By the time he returned to Faust in 1845, he was an established composer, conducting his works across Europe. He wrote the music during carriage rides and stays in various lodgings. This concert features three instrumental works from the score, including two dances that carry a whiff of something devilish and foul. The “Menuet des follets” (Will-o’-the-Wisps) seems an innocent, old-style dance played by the woodwinds. But

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BERLIOZ: “Menuet des follets” from La damnation de Faust Most Recent ASO Performance: October 18, 1986 William Fred Scott, conductor BERLIOZ: “Ballet des sylphes” from La damnation de Faust Most Recent ASO Performance: October 18, 1986 William Fred Scott, conductor BERLIOZ: “Marche hongroise” from La damnation de Faust Most Recent ASO Performance: March 15, 2019 Stephen Mulligan, conductor

First ASO performance: March 17, 1983 Robert Shaw, conductor Elly Ameling, soprano Most recent ASO performance: May 23, 1998 Yoel Levi, conductor Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano

notice the menacing string interjections. In fact, we’re hearing Mephistopheles—the Devil—cast a spell over Marguerite. Likewise, Mephisto uses the “Dance of the Sylphs” to stir up romantic feelings in Faust, while the “Rákóczy March” represents humanity and is a relic of Berlioz’s European tour. After landing in Hungary, he turned a local Rákóczy tune into a march that enthralled his audience. He liked it so much that he wrote it into the Faust score. ORCHESTRATION: 3 flutes (second and third doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 4 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 cornets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, 2 harps and strings BERLIOZ Les nuits d’été

ector Berlioz was a genius: largely self-taught, obsessive, and maybe a little unhinged. Always, he spun sprawling musical tapestries using unconventional instruments and harmonies, put together in unconventional ways. Being a musical maverick, Berlioz lived under the spotlight yet needed to supplement his income. Writing music criticism and commentary, he became an eloquent force in 19th-century France. Regrettably, he wrote nothing about Les nuits d’été. Here’s what we know: At home, life with his wife, Harriet Smithson, had grown untenable. Her career as an actress had spiraled, and she drowned her depression in bottles of booze. At the same time, the composer began a relationship with the French mezzo Marie Recio. Beneath this veil of domestic untranquility, Berlioz wrote a set of songs about love and loss using poems by his friend Théophile Gautier. He published the songs in 1841, and later orchestrated them, pioneering the genre we know as the orchestral song cycle.. Musically, Berlioz indicated that songs can feature different vocal types, but we most often hear them sung by a mezzo-soprano. No two songs share the same instrumentation. Notice how the music does the

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storytelling. For example, in “Villanelle,” a descending bass line evokes melting ice, while a violin trill mimics birdsong. In “Le spectre de la rose,” Berlioz introduces the harp to evoke paradise. ORCHESTRATION: 2 flutes, oboe, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 3 horns, harp, solo mezzo-soprano and strings FAURÉ Requiem

rtistically speaking, requiems are like gumbo. Each cook adds something unique to the recipe, with differences spanning centuries, musical styles, politics, local conventions, Church dictates, and matters of personal faith. Today, the requiem is a beloved musical tradition. Even with greater artistic freedom, some composers choose to set the Latin funeral rite. Others, including Johannes Brahms, dropped the Latin text in favor of language that better aligns with their worldviews. Gabriel Fauré was only nine when his father took him on a three-day journey to boarding school. The school gave him an excellent foundation in church music, including works by J.S. Bach and various Renaissance composers. Outside the curriculum, his teacher and close friend, Camille Saint-Saëns, introduced him to the contemporary music of Schumann, Wagner and Liszt. Fauré wasn’t especially religious. Nevertheless, he worked his way into some of France’s most prestigious church jobs, where he turned out fabulous organ improvisations without ever writing them down.

First ASO performance: February 19, 1974 Robert Shaw, conductor Nancy Irwin, soprano David Dwelle, baritone Most recent ASO performance: May 27, 2017 Donald Runnicles, conductor Kim-Lillian Strebel, soprano

For all the time Fauré spent in the church, he didn’t Matthew Worth, baritone write much for that world. As the years passed, Fauré ASO Chorus received only local recognition for his compositions. He wrote the Requiem in stages between 1877 and 1900. First, he made a setting of Libera me, a prayer to be said before burial. Two years after losing his father, he wrote the Introit, Kyrie, Sanctus, Pie Jesu, and In paradisum, but denied any connection to that event. “My Requiem was not written for anything—for pleasure, if I can call it that,” he said. He expanded the piece in 1893 and made the orchestral version in 1900.

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Structurally, Fauré sidestepped Church orthodoxy. The traditional Mass for the Dead is terrifying. For example, the Dies irae (Day of Wrath) sequence depicts a massive earthquake yanking people from their graves to face judgment. In other requiems, such as those written by Verdi and Mozart, the yawning jaws of Hell serve as a potent drug for music-making, but Fauré skipped it in favor of the Pie Jesu: “Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them rest.” Still, the Fauré Requiem opens with a shock, like the horrid stillness of a life extinguished. The music sounds spooky— even gothic—in parts, but blooms into exquisite radiance. This requiem is not about Hellfire but a look toward Heaven. Fauré’s church, La Madeleine, performed his Requiem at his funeral in 1924. Gradually, the piece began to circulate with help from advocates such as Aaron Copland. ORCHESTRATION: 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, harp, organ, solo soprano, solo baritone, chorus and strings ELIJAH MCCORMACK, soprano

raised for his “cool control and warmth of tone” (Washington Post), sopranist Elijah McCormack is a versatile artist performing throughout North America and abroad. Recognized particularly for his solo work in early music, he has sung roles with Haymarket Opera and Opera Lafayette, and has performed as a soloist with Washington Bach Consort, American Bach Soloists, Ars Lyrica Houston, Dallas Bach Society, and others. As a choral artist, he performs regularly with GRAMMY® Award-winning and nominated organizations such as Conspirare, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, The Crossing, and Seraphic Fire, as well as Ensemble Altera and Aeternum Choir.

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JULIETTE MEY, mezzo-soprano

fter making a remarkable debut last season as Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) at the Opéra de Toulon, she reprises the role during the 2026–2027 season at the Théâtre national du Capitole de Toulouse, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and the Opéra de Tours. She also makes her United States debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, performs the role of Oreste (La Belle Hélène) at the Opéra de Rouen, and appears in concerts and tours with numerous orchestras and baroque ensembles, including the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, Les Talens lyriques, Les Arts Florissants, Le Concert de la Loge, Les Épopées, and Les Paladins. Juliette Mey has been represented by RSBA since 2022. LEON KOŠAVIĆ, baritone

he young Croatian baritone Leon Košavić began his musical career as Papageno at the Croatian National Opera. Since then, he has appeared at numerous European opera houses, such as the Royal Opera House London, Opernhaus Zürich, La Monnaie Bruxelles, Theater an der Wien, Stuttgart State Opera, Liège, Antwerp, Lausanne, Strasbourg and Helsinki. Performances with conductor Nathalie Stutzmann have included Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Liverpool, São Paolo, Bergen, Paris, London and Atlanta. After his debuts at the Opernhaus Zürich, Grand-Théâtre de Genève, Grand-Théâtre de Luxembourg and the Teatro Regio Torino in the last seasons, recent highlights include: Die Fledermaus at the Theater an der Wien, Don Giovanni at the Ravenna Festival and Tokyo Spring Festival, his debut at the Dutch National Opera in Tristan und Isolde and his anticipated role debut as Escamillo in Carmen at the Flemish Opera.

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NORMAN MACKENZIE, Director of Choruses

orman Mackenzie’s abilities as musical collaborator, conductor and concert organist have brought him international recognition. As Director of Chorus for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) since 2000, he was chosen to help carry forward the creative vision of legendary founding conductor Robert Shaw. During his tenure, the Chorus has made numerous tours and garnered several Grammy® awards, including Best Classical Album and Best Choral Performance.

At the ASO, he prepares the Choruses for all concerts and recordings, works closely with Nathalie Stutzmann on the commissioning and realization of new choral-orchestral works and conducts holiday concerts. In his 14-year association with Mr. Shaw, he was keyboardist for the ASO, principal accompanist for the ASO Choruses and ultimately assistant choral conductor. In addition, he was musical assistant and accompanist for the Robert Shaw Chamber Singers, the Robert Shaw Institute Summer Choral Festivals in France and the United States and the famed Shaw/Carnegie Hall Choral Workshops. He prepared the ASO Chorus for its acclaimed 2003 debut and successive 2008 and 2009 performances in Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonic, in Britten’s War Requiem, Berlioz’s Grande Messe des Morts and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, respectively. ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHORUS

he Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus, founded in 1970 by former Music Director, Robert Shaw, is an allvolunteer, auditioned ensemble that performs on a regular basis with the Orchestra and is featured on many of its recordings. Led by Director of Choruses, Norman Mackenzie, the chorus is known for its precision and expressive singing quality. Its recordings have garnered 14 GRAMMY® Awards (nine for “Best Choral Performance”; four for “Best Classical Recording” and one for “Best Opera Recording”). In addition, the Chorus has been involved in the creation and shaping of numerous world-premiere commissioned works.

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ASO CHORUS ROSTER Norman Mackenzie Marcia Chandler DIRECTOR OF CHORUSES

Dock Anderson

CHORUS ADMINISTRATOR

ACCOMPANIST

Cheryl Thrash ** Caroline Todd Lacy Wilder

Kimberly Waters AJ Willingham Kiki Wilson ** Diane Woodard **

The Frannie & Bill Graves Chair SOPRANO 1 Flynn Allen Juliaña Bolano Hanan Davis Khadijah Davis Liz Dean * Hala Elalfy Anna Floyd Laura Foster + Jasmine Galante Erin Harris Arietha Lockhart ** Mindy Margolis +* Rebecca Patterson Rachel Paul Susan Ray Samaria Rodriguez Kristian Samuel Jordan Sharp Lydia Sharp Alexandra Slusarenko Stacey Tanner + Wanda Yang Temko +* Chelsea Toledo Brianne Turgeon +* Shelby Warren SOPRANO 2 Katherine Ambrester Meghann Ashey Debbie Ashton Sloan Atwood +* Jessica Barber + Barbara Brown + Haley Brown Mary Claire Buchanan Martha Craft + Gina Deaton Mary Goodwin + Lauren Gornto Corrina Guadalupe Heidi Heyward Hannah Lahr Eunice Lazau Megan Littlepage Lindsay Patten Murray Tramaine Quarterman Seiler Rivers Kate Roberts Kelli Roberts Marianna Schuck Lily Scoliard Anne-Marie Spalinger +* Tommie Storer Emily Tallant +

ALTO 1 Pamela Amy-Cupp Alison Autry Ellen Barneycastle Emily Campbell Jessica Crowe Alexandra Dolgashev Katherine Fisher Beth Freeman * Bridgette Gifford Unita Harris Beverly Hueter * Janet Johnson ** Kathy Kelly George * Alina Luke Linda Morgan ** Lillian Nittler Kathleen Poe Ross * Elizabeth Qian Anna Ree Noelle Ross + Rachel Schiffer Rachel Stewart ** Michelle Story Amber Thomas ALTO 2 Nancy Adams +* Ana Baida + Elizabeth Borland Emily Boyer Marcia Chandler * Carol Comstock Meaghan Curry + Michèle Diament * Kimberly Geter Cynthia Goeltz DeBold ** Emily Halbert Luanne Harms Joia Johnson Angelica Blackman Keim Nicole Khoury +* Katherine MacKenzie + Lynda Martin Lalla McGee Rachel Meyer Tiffany Peoples Laura Rappold * Caroline Roberts Duhi Park Schneider Sharon Simons * Virginia Thompson +*

TENOR 1 David Blalock ** LaRue Bowman Jack Caldwell +* Daniel Cameron +* Daniel Compton Justin Cornelius + Joseph Cortes Clifford Edge ** Steven Farrow ** Michael Hallquist Leif Gilbert Hansen * Keith Langston * J. H. Monti David Moore Timothy Parrott Christopher Patton * Matthew Sellers TENOR 2 Jacob Arnett Matthew Borkowski Sutton Bacon * Steve Brailsford Darrell Curren Steven Dykes Stephen Eick Joseph Few +* Sean Fletcher Thomas Foust John Harr Marcellus Holt David Ingham David Kinrade + Tyler Lane Michael Parker + Brett Reichert Clifton Russell Thomas Slusher Zachary Temin Curt Weiler BASS 1 Dock Anderson + William Borland Daniel Buckley Josh Clark + Trey Clegg * Michael Cranford + Ryan Eck Thomas Elston

Jordan Gamble Will Goldsmith Nick Jones ∞ Simon Kawasaki Ryan Kingsley Jun Lee Leo Liu Peter MacKenzie + Cooper Martin Justin Maxey Hal Richards Christopher Rodriguez Jack Schaaf Will Stephens Alexander Suponya John Terry Edgie Wallace Jr. +* BASS 2 Philip Barreca + Jacob Blevins John King Carter Mark Chilla Joel Craft ** Colin Daniell Timothy Gunter +* David Hansen ** Joseph Hopkins Philip Jones + Wayne Jones Wesley Lanter Jason Manley Colin Mathews Brandon Mozingo Michael Nedvidek Philip Rogers John Ruff +* John Smith Jonathan Smith * George Sustman Benjamin Temko +* Jonathan Watson Gregory Whitmire +* Keith Wyatt +*

∞ = 50-year/Charter Member ** = 40-year member +* = 30-year member * = 20-year member + = 10-year member

32 | november19/21 The 4,230th and 4,231st concerts of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Thursday, November 19, 8:00pm Saturday, November 21, 8:00pm Atlanta Symphony Hall NATHALIE STUTZMANN, CONDUCTOR ANNA GENIUSHENE, PIANO

If you need to exit the hall during the performance, you may reenter between works. The use of cameras or recording devices during the concert is strictly prohibited. Please be kind to those around you and silence your mobile phone and other hand-held devices.

ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Concerto in A minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 54 (1841-1845) 33 MINS I. Allegro affettuoso II. Intermezzo: Andantino grazioso — III. Allegro vivace Anna Geniushene, piano INTERMISSION ANTON BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major (1875-1876) I. Adagio — Allegro — Langsamer II. Adagio — Sehr langsam III. Scherzo: Molto vivace IV. Finale: Adagio — Allegro

20 MINS

81 MINS

notesontheprogram | 33 by Noel Morris Program Annotator

Notes to Know • Robert Schumann and his wife, Clara, began their relationship as a secret love, communicating through music—a habit that continued into their marriage. For example, the oboe theme in the opening of the Piano Concerto is a cipher for “Clara,” with the notes C-B-A-A. • Long after Robert’s death, Clara Schumann championed his Piano Concerto, and helped lift him into the realm of the great composers. • Anton Bruckner was a reviser. Even as he composed his 5th Symphony, he worked on revisions of the 2nd and 3rd symphonies. SCHUMANN Piano Concerto

y his twentieth birthday, the young law student Robert Schumann was at a crossroads. He wrote to his mother, “My entire life has been a twenty-year struggle between poetry and prose, or call it music and law.” The letter was confessional: he wanted to quit school and become a musician. The celebrated music teacher Friedrich Wieck assured Schumann’s mother, “I pledge within three years…to make your son Robert into one of the greatest pianists now living.” Months later, Schumann left university and moved into the Wieck home. Wieck had another student he was grooming to be one of the greatest pianists: his eleven-year-old daughter, Clara. She was a child prodigy and preparing for her public debut.

First ASO performance: November 27, 1948 Henry Sopkin, conductor William Schatten, piano Most recent ASO performance:

Although Clara was nine years younger than Robert, a May 7, 2016 friendship blossomed. As she matured, Wieck sent her Lothar Zagrosek, on a series of concert tours, keeping her on the road conductor and away from Robert—or so Wieck thought. Clara and Javier Perianes, Robert stayed in touch through secret letters. And on piano her eighteenth birthday, he asked for her hand. Wieck withheld his consent, possibly because marriage meant the end of a woman’s career (although that would not be the case for Clara Schumann).

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It took a court battle to bring Robert and Clara together. They married in 1840, by which point he had injured his hand and taken up the pen (as both a composer and a music critic). Indeed, Clara became one of the greatest pianists in the world. Robert Schumann proved to be a workhorse. In the year of their marriage, he wrote more than 120 songs. Then, starting in 1841, he plowed through several large-scale orchestral works, including a concerto movement titled Phantasie. Written in just sixteen days, the Phantasie builds off a four-note theme outlining the name “Clara” (starting on C and descending to an A, which sounds twice). The following summer, Clara Schumann hoisted herself onstage—eight months pregnant— and played the first performance of Robert’s Phantasie with the Gewandhaus Orchestra. After the premiere, the Phantasie movement lay dormant for four years until Robert added two more movements to complete the Piano Concerto in A minor. In December 1845, Clara played the world premiere. This time, she was eight months pregnant with their fourth child. They would have eight. ORCHESTRATION: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, solo piano and strings BRUCKNER Symphony No. 5

magine stepping into a gothic cathedral. You tug on the doors—they’re two stories high. They close with a clang that echoes off a distant wall. Peering into the hazy, cavernous space, you notice dust suspended in mid-air, animated by rays of sunlight spilling from stained glass, implausibly high. Just to the right, a sarcophagus comes into view. You take in the marble sculpture of a supine knight clutching his longsword. Stepping into the nave, you note the massive columns thrusting skyward and a sequence of shadowy chapels hugging the outer walls. This is Anton Bruckner’s world. And it might be the best way to understand his symphonies. Immediately after his father’s death, 13-year-old Anton entered the boarding school at St. Florian’s monastery. He sang in the choir and studied violin, but his happy place was

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the organ loft. Over time, he became an integral part of the monks’ musical life and one of the world’s greatest organists. A deeply religious man, he spent endless hours alone in church, improvising massive walls of sound at the organ. In middle age, when he moved to Vienna, he began writing symphonies and seemingly recreated those spaces in painstaking symphonic detail.

First and Most Recent ASO Performance: March 21, 1992 Yoel Levi, conductor

The New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini wrote, “Over the years, I came to appreciate ‘Bruckner time,’ let’s call it; that is, his way of structuring symphonies over long spans.” Bruckner wrote his Fifth Symphony between 1875 and 1876 and revised it until 1878. He called the work his “contrapuntal masterpiece,” essentially putting to paper what he could famously improvise at the organ — that is, polyphony (more than one melody working simultaneously). Hymn-like chorales proliferate in the Fifth, yet there’s an academic side at play. Bruckner shows off his mastery of counterpoint, knitting his symphonic fabric together into a mammoth, interconnected edifice. The key to the symphony lies in the slow introduction, which contains the building blocks of the entire work. The first movement introduces three themes. (Rumor suggests one of these inspired the bass riff from The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.”) Curiously, for such an integrated symphony, Bruckner wrote the Adagio first. Two themes from the first movement beget the double theme of the adagio. Notice how the upper melody is in 4/4, while the pizzicato strings are in 6/4. Through an unsettling cross rhythm, Bruckner suggests a sense of isolation, as if to place the solo oboe at odds with the world. The Scherzo uses similar material, but speeds it up, while the finale echoes the first movement and pulls the symphony’s themes, full throttle, into a monumental double fugue. In the end, a thundering chorale headed by the brass brings about a seismic conclusion (picture the organ virtuoso bringing a massive, church-style improvisation to its climax).

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Although the timid countryman Anton Bruckner had a devoted cadre of students and disciples, Vienna was a hostile environment for him. The Vienna Philharmonic declined to play his Fifth Symphony, but he did hear it played on two pianos in 1887. Years later, a friend conducted an unauthorized edit of the piece; sadly, Bruckner was too frail to attend. The Fifth Symphony was not performed intact until 1935. ORCHESTRATION: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani and strings See pg. 22 for Artist-in-Residence, Anna Geniushene’s full biography

DONOR PROFILE

Wilber W. (“Pete”) Caldwell: “I hope this kind of music will be around forever.” By James L. Paulk

ilber W. (“Pete”) Caldwell was born in Ohio but grew up in Ansley Park, served in Korea, and played in a band for fun. In 1967, he joined with Tom Wells to open Doppler Studios in Atlanta, and became a producer of advertising jingles and musical scores. At Caldwell’s insistence, the company used ASO string players regularly to lay down tracks. According to former ASO cellist and staff conductor Jere Flint, Caldwell kept a copy of the ASO rehearsal schedule and made sure to schedule his recording sessions when ASO musicians were available. By the time Caldwell sold the business in 1984, Doppler had become the largest recording studio complex in the Southeast, hosting artists like the Electric Light Orchestra and Aerosmith in addition to the core business of recording jingles. In retirement, Caldwell built a home near Ellijay, where he pursued a remarkable range of interests and wrote books on subjects ranging from architecture to barbecue to “The Myth of National Superiority.” Caldwell once told an ASO staffer: “I made my living with classic rock and jingles, using classical musicians.” Attending an ASO concert with his wife, Mary Fitzhugh Parra, he remarked: “I hope that this kind of music will be around forever.” Caldwell died in October of 2025 and left a substantial bequest to the ASO, helping to fulfill that wish.

For more information about becoming a member of the Henry Sopkin Circle by making a planned gift to the Orchestra, please contact: Jimmy Paulk, Senior Annual Giving Officer james.paulk@atlantasymphony.org or 404.733.4485.

38 | encore Campaign for the

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has begun an ambitious campaign to generate new endowment and stability funding. Our Campaign for the Next Era will allow the ASO to achieve its vision while maintaining its financial health and ensuring long-term sustainability. This Campaign will create sustainable funding to: • Enable the ASO to continue to attract and retain the finest musicians in the world • Maintain and expand our community-wide education programs • Fully fund our nationally-recognized Talent Development Program Investments in the Campaign for the Next Era will help the ASO continue to enrich our beloved community with brilliant performances and music education for decades to come.

CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is grateful to the following donors and volunteers who have supported our Campaign for the Next Era Endowment Campaign. CAMPAIGN CHAIRS

CAMPAIGN CABINET

Kathy Waller

Bert Mills

Ray Uttenhove

John B. White, Jr.

Anne Morgan

Patrick Viguerie

Jim Rubright

For more information about the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Campaign for the Next Era, please contact Grace Sipusic, Vice President of Development, at grace.sipusic@atlantasymphony.org or 404.733.5061.

encoreatlanta.com | 39

$1,000,000+ A Friend of the Symphony (4) Mr. Eric Bressner The Family of Ann Grovenstein Campbell Ms. Margie Painter The Zeist Foundation, Inc. $500,000+ A Friend of the Symphony The Farideh & Al Azadi Foundation Emerald Gate Charitable Trust Kathy Waller & Kenneth Goggins $250,000+ A Friend of the Symphony Sheila Lee Davies & Jon Davies Mr. & Mrs. Mark A. Kauffman Anne Morgan & Jim Kelley Mary & Jim Rubright Patrick & Susie Viguerie $100,000+ Balloun Foundation Janine Brown & Alex J. Simmons, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Paul J. Blackney Ms. Elizabeth W. Camp Cari K. Dawson & John M. Sparrow Marcia & John Donnell Ms. Angela L. Evans Dick & Anne Game Garcias Llorens Endowment Fund June & John Scott Mr. Fahim Siddiqui & Ms. Shazia Fahim Ann Marie & John B. White, Jr. $50,000+ A Friend of the Symphony (4) The Antinori Foundation Jeannette Guarner, MD & Carlos del Rio, MD Bonnie Harris James H. Landon Ms. Molly Minnear Bert & Carmen Mills Patty & Doug Reid Ross** & Sally Singletary Slumgullion Charitable Fund John & Ray Uttenhove

UP TO $50,000 A Friend of the Symphony (2) Phyllis Abramson, Ph.D. Mr. Keith Adams & Ms. Kerry Heyward Juliet & John Allan Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Bailey Wright* & Alison Caughman Ms. Lisa V. Chang Lisa DiFrancesco, MD & Darlene Nicosia Craig Frankel & Jana Eplan The Gable Foundation Florencia & Rodrigo Garcia Escudero Sally & Walter George Georgia Power Company Pam & Robert Glustrom Elizabeth & Sheffield Hale Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Harrison Tad & Janin Hutcheson Brian & Carrie Kurlander Donna Lee & Howard Ehni Dr. Jennifer Lyman & Mr. Kevin Lyman Ms. Deborah A. Marlowe & Dr. Clint Lawrence Massey Charitable Trust John & Linda Matthews Carla & Arthur Mills IV Galen Oelkers John R. Paddock, Ph.D. & Karen M. Schwartz, Ph.D. Victoria & Howard Palefsky Dr. Kenneth Sass & Mr. Daniel Lazarus Bill & Rachel Schultz Joyce & Henry Schwob Charlie & Donna Sharbaugh Elliott & Elaine Tapp

ASO | SUPPORT

he Atlanta Symphony Orchestra continues to prosper thanks to the support of our generous patrons. The list below recognizes the donors who have made contributions since June 1, 2025. Their extraordinary generosity provides the foundation for this worldclass institution. $1,000,000+ A Friend of the Symphony $100,000+ Sheila Lee Davies & Jon Davies Barney M. Franklin & Hugh W. Burke Charitable Fund The Estate of Mr. Max M. Gilstrap The Estate of Mr. Frederick D. Weaver $50,000+ The Antinori Foundation Paulette Eastman & Becky Pryor Anderson** Ms. Lynn Eden Ms. Angela L. Evans John D. Fuller The Gable Foundation Ms. Margie Painter ∞ Mr. & Mrs. Ravi Saligram Mr. Robert L. Setzer SFH Giving Fund Gayle Sheppard Ann Marie & John B. White, Jr. ° $35,000+ Farideh & Al Azadi Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Paul J. Blackney Sally & Walter George Jeannette Guarner, MD & Carlos del Rio, MD ∞ Sig & Billie Guthman Legacy Fund Donna Lee & Howard Ehni John R. Paddock, Ph.D. & Karen M. Schwartz, Ph.D. Sally & Pete Parsonson ∞ Patty & Doug Reid June & John Scott Patrick & Susie Viguerie Kathy Waller & Kenneth Goggins $25,000+ John & Juliet Allan Carol C. Attridge, in memory of Phil Attridge Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Bailey Jennifer Barlament & Kenneth Potsic

Mr. Keith Barnett Janine Brown & Alex J. Simmons, Jr. John W. Cooledge The Estate of Jimmy Waymon Crowe Cari K. Dawson & John M. Sparrow Mr. Richard H. Delay & Dr. Francine D. Dykes ∞ Mr. & Mrs. William S. Duffey, Jr. Robert & Anne Essner Dick & Anne Game Pam & Robert Glustrom Bonnie Harris Ms. Joia M. Johnson Sarah & Jim Kennedy Mr. & Mrs. Van R. Lear Massey Charitable Trust John & Linda Matthews Martha M. Pentecost Mary & Jim Rubright Bill & Rachel Schultz ° Katherine Scott Mrs. Edus H. Warren $17,500+ Mr. Neil Ashe & Mrs. Rona Gomel Ashe Ms. Elizabeth W. Camp Russell Currey & Amy Durrell Florencia & Rodrigo Garcia Escudero Dr. V. Alexander Garcias Mr. & Mrs. David Goosman Mr. James N. Grace Stephen & Carolyn Knight Pam & Jeff Kuester Dr. & Mrs. Scott I. Lampert Drs. Joon & Grace Lee Dr. Jennifer Lyman & Mr. Kevin Lyman ∞ Ms. Deborah A. Marlowe & Dr. Clint Lawrence Erin Marshall ∞ Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Mills IV Ms. Molly Minnear Caroline & Phil Moïse Terence L. & Jeanne Perrine Neal ° Galen Oelkers

Ms. Cathleen Quigley Dr. Kenneth Sass & Mr. Daniel Lazarus Ross** & Sally Singletary Slumgullion Charitable Fund Carolyn C. Thorsen John & Ray Uttenhove Roxanne & Benny Varzi Mrs. Sue S. Williams Dr. Jiong Yan & Baxter Jones $15,000+ A Friend of the Symphony (2) Phyllis Abramson, Ph.D. Cathy Callaway Adams Madeline** & Howell E. Adams, Jr. Aadu & Kristi Allpere ° Mr. & Mrs. Brett Bartlett Mr. David Boatwright Wright** & Alison Caughman Ms. Lisa V. Chang Dr. John Dyer & Mrs. Catherine Faré Dyer Eleanor & Charles Edmondson Ms. Yelena Epova & Mr. Neil Chambers Craig Frankel & Jana Eplan Roya & Bahman Irvani Mr. W. F. & Dr. Janice Johnston Dr. Raymond Kotwicki Brian & Carrie Kurlander ∞ James H. Landon Mr. Sukai Liu & Dr. Ginger Chen Belinda & Gino Massafra Mr. Robert McDonough & Ms. Cydnee Dubrof The Mendiratta Family ∞° Anne Morgan & Jim Kelley Mr. Edward Potter & Ms. Regina Olchowski ° Vicki & Joe Riedel David F. & Maxine A.** Rock V Scott Michelle & Steve Shlansky Mr. John A. Sibley III Mr. Fahim Siddiqui & Ms. Shazia Fahim Tom & Ani Steele Mr. & Mrs. Edward W. Stroetz, Jr. Elliott & Elaine Tapp °

encoreatlanta.com | 41 Judith & Mark K. Taylor Mr. Yannik Thomas Ms. Maria Todorova Carol & Ramon Tomé Family Fund Mr. Ben Touchette Ruthie Watts Adair & Dick White Hank Wilkinson Drs. Kevin & Kalinda Woods $10,000+ A Friend of the Symphony Mr. & Mrs. Calvin R. Allen Asad & Sakina Bashey Jack & Helga Beam Mr. & Mrs. Gerald R. Benjamin Kelley O. & Neil H. Berman Carol Brantley & David Webster Karen & Rod Bunn Patricia & William Buss Lisa & Russ Butner John Champion & Penelope Malone Mr. & Mrs. Thomas C. Chubb III Janet & John Costello Peter & Vivian** de Kok Mr. Christopher J. Decouflé & Ms. Karen Freer Donald & Barbara Defoe ° Marcia & John Donnell Ms. Diane Durgin Cheryl Etheridge in memory of David Etheridge Dr. & Mrs. Leroy Fass Mr. & Mrs. William A. Flinn Dr. Robert W. Gilbert Dr. Paul Gilreath The Hertz Family Foundation, Inc. Clay & Jane Jackson ∞ Ann A. & Ben F. Johnson III ° Jennifer & Bill Kahnweiler Mr. & Mrs. Mark A. Kauffman Ann & Brian Kimsey ∞ Dr. Fulton D. Lewis III & S. Neal Rhoney Allen & Judy Lipis Meghan & Clarke Magruder In Memoriam: Betty (B.J.) Malone Dr. & Mrs. Douglas Mattox Mr. Cesar Moreno & Mr. Greg Heathcock Jane Morrison ∞ Victoria & Howard Palefsky Margaret H. Petersen

John H. Rains Mr. Ron Raitz Mr. Joseph Rapanotti Leonard Reed Ms. Frances A. Root John T. Ruff Thomas & Lynne Saylor Ms. Barbara S. Schlefman Beverly & Milton Shlapak John & Yee-Wan Stevens Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor & Ms. Triska Drake** George & Amy Taylor Drs. Jonne & Paul Walter Dr. & Mrs. James O. Wells, Jr. Kiki Wilson Mr. David J. Worley & Ms. Bernadette Drankoski Camille W. Yow $7,500+ Dr. Marshall & Stephanie Abes CBH International, Inc Ned Cone & Nadeen Green Kelly Goldston DeBonis & Daniel P. DeBonis Xavier Duralde & Mary Barrett Sally W. Hawkins The Reverend Elizabeth H. Hendrick Grace Taylor Ihrig** Mrs. Gail Johnson** Cecile M. Jones Jason & Michelle Kroh Ms. Eunice Luke Elvira & Jay Mannelly Ed & Linda McGinn Berthe & Shapour Mobasser Sue Morgan Ralph Paulk & Suzanne Redmon Paulk Ms. Eliza Quigley ∞ Mr. & Mrs. Joel F. Reeves Dr. Jay Rhee & Mrs. Kimberley Rhee Tiffany & Rich Rosetti Suzanne Shull ∞ Ms. Juliana T. Vincenzino Alan & Marcia Watt $5,000+ A Friend of the Symphony (5) Dr. & Mrs. Joel M. Adler Louis J. Alrutz

The Hisham & Nawal Araim Family Foundation Azalea City Chapter of Links Lisa & Joe** Bankoff Anthony Barbagallo & Kristen Fowks Meredith Bell Mr. John Blatz Rita & Herschel Bloom Jane & Greg Blount Dr. & Mrs. Jerome B. Blumenthal Mrs. Robert C. Boozer Ms. Jane F. Boynton Margo Brinton & Eldon Park Ms. Johanna Brookner Jacqueline A. & Joseph E. Brown, Jr. Mrs. Amy B. Cheng & Dr. Chad A. Hume, Ph.D JC Chi Helena & Phillip Choi Mr. & Mrs. Dennis M. Chorba Ms. Tracey Chu Bruce Cohen Malcolm & Ann Cole Carol Comstock & Jim Davis Matt & Kate Cook William & Patricia Cook Mr. & Mrs. DePorres Cormier Mary Caroline Cravens & Will Sugden Claire & Alex Crumbley Mr. & Mrs. Warren L. Culpepper Mr. & Mrs. Alan Dean Mr. & Mrs. Paul H. Dimmick ∞ Jerry H. Evans & Stephen T. Bajjaly Dr. & Mrs. Carl D. Fackler Ellen & Howard** Feinsand Bruce W. & Avery C. Flower ∞ Mr. David L. Forbes Karen Foster Annie Frazer & Jen Horvath ° Gaby Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Richard Goodsell Deedee Hamburger & Dr. Steven M. Gallant For information about giving to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Annual Fund, please contact William Keene at 404.733.4839 or william.keene@ atlantasymphony.org.

ASO | SUPPORT Mr. & Mrs. Steve Hauser Mrs. Susan H. Reinach John** & Martha Head Ms. Felicia Rives ∞ Mrs. Nicole L. House Angela Robinson Richard & Linda Hubert Susan J. Robinson & Mary C. Roemer Mr. & Mrs. Paul Huesken Ms. Noelle Ross & Mr. Tim Dorr Tad & Janin Hutcheson Mr. Justin Im & Dr. Nakyoung Nam Dr. & Mrs. Rein Saral Lillian Kim Ivansco & Joey Ivansco Gerald & Nancy Silverboard Rev. Jeanne Simpson Lana M. Jordan ∞ Baker & Debby Smith Paul** & Rosthema Kastin Ms. Cynthia Smith Mona & Gilbert Kelly ° Hamilton & Mason Smith Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. William R. Kenny Janice B. Smith James Kieffer Ms. Victoria Smith Mr. Charles R. Kowal Ms. Lara Smith-Sitton Pat & Nolan Leake Ms. Angela Spivey Jonathan Lively Mr. & Mrs. Peter Stathopoulos Mr. William A. Lundstrom & In memory of Elizabeth B. Mrs. Catherine L. Lundstrom Stephens by Powell, Preston & Sally ∞ Thomas & Marianne Mabry Ms. Deann Stevens Ms. Ellen B. Macht Ian Steward Mr. Michael F. Mansfield, Jr. Beth & Edward Sugarman Beau & Alfredo Martin Stephen & Sonia Swartz Mr. & Mrs. Christopher D. Martin Sadie Talmadge Marx & Marx LLC Dede & Bob Thompson Catherine Massey Mr. & Mrs. Stephen M. Masterson Mr. & Mrs. Peter Toren Mr. Jerry Stacy Tucker Ben Mathis & Mary Anne Mathis Chilton D. Varner Ms. Darla B. McBurney Amy & Robert Vassey Gray McCalley Nadine Virani & Reza Kaba Martha & Reynolds McClatchey Emily C. Ward Molly McDonald & Jonathan Gelber Emily & James Washburn Ms. Whitney Myers Mr. & Mrs. Chris Webber Mr. Bert Mobley ∞ Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Maria & Chris Moffett David & Martha West Mr. Jamal Mohammad & Suzanne Bunzl Wilner Mr. Marcus Dean Mr. & Mrs. M. Beattie Wood Mr. William Morrison & Kaya Yamashita in memory of Mrs. Elizabeth Clark-Morrison her parents, Hiroko & Tomohiro John & Christina Nail Yamashita Agnes V. Nelson Danielle & Peter Zimmerman Ms. Bethani Oppenheimer Donald S. Orr & Marcia K. Knight $3,500+ A Friend of the Symphony (2) Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Owen, Jr. Mr. Brett Badessa & Mr. & Mrs. Solon P. Patterson Dr. Cristina Del Toro Badessa Mr. & Mrs. Edmund F. Pearce, Jr. ° Dr. Bruce & Linda** Beeber Jonathan & Lori Peterson Sam & Linda Boyte Susan & Mike Petrik Coenen-Johnson Foundation In Memory of Mary Carole Cooney & Dr. Frank S. Pittman III Henry R. Bauer, Jr. Stephen Polley Jean & Jerry Cooper Dr. & Mrs. John P. Pooler Douglas Powell & Alexandra Miller Mr. David S. Dimling Gregory & Debra Durden Dr. John B. Pugh

Mr. Ralph Fruchtman & Mr. Ted Gulick Marty & John Gillin ° Sandra & John Glover Richard & Debbie Griffiths Ms. Susan V. Heerin Mr. & Mrs. John Hellriegel Barbara M. Hund Ms. Rebecca Jarvis Sally C. Jobe Wolfgang** & Mariana Laufer Deborah & William Liss Barbara & Jim MacGinnitie Ms. Kathy Powell S.A. Robinson Ms. Donna Schwartz Ms. Martha Solano Kay R. Summers Johnny Thigpen & Clay Martin Dr. Brenda G. Turner Mr. & Mrs. Timothy A. Vanderver III Dr. James L. Waits Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Welch Sally & Mel Westmoreland Russell F. Winch & Mark B. Elberfeld Judy Zaban-Miller & Lester Miller** $2,000+ A Friend of the Symphony (6) Mr. & Mrs. Carl D. Adams, Jr. Paul & Melody Aldo Herschel Beazley Dr. & Mrs. Joel E. Berenson Susan & Jack Bertram Leon & Joy Borchers Martha S. Brewer Mr. Stephen Brown Laurel & Gordon Buchmiller Dr. Aubrey Bush & Dr. Carol Bush Mr. & Mrs. Walter K. Canipe Betty Fuller Case Mr. Jeffery B. Chancellor & Mr. Cameron England Julie & Jerry Chautin Mr. Michael J. Clifford & Ms. Sandra L. Murray Mr. James Cobb Nicky Cohen & Simon Dibley Liz & Charlie Cohn ° Danielle Conti Ms. Sandra Cook Dr. & Mrs. John E. Cooke

encoreatlanta.com | 43 Mr. William R. Cranshaw R. Carter & Marjorie A. Crittenden Foundation Susan & Ed Croft Kaitlin & Sheila Crumrine Dr. & Mrs.** F. Thomas Daly, Jr. Jerome J. Dobson Mr. & Mrs. Graham Dorian Mr. Trey Duskin & Ms. Noelle Albano ° Mrs. Eve F. Eckardt ** Tom & Kim Eckhardt Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Edge Mr. & Mrs. Craig R. Edwards William Eiselstein & Andrew Greene Dieter Elsner & Othene Munson Robert S. Elster Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Paul G. Farnham Mr. & Mrs. John Ferguson Dr. Donald & Janet Filip Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth D. Franklin Tom & Cecilia Fraschillo Dr. Elizabeth C. French Mr. & Mrs. Sebastien Galtier ∞ Mrs. Janet D. Goldstein Mr. Robert Golomb ** Mrs. Beverly Green Juan & Debbie Guerra Mr. & Mrs. George Gundersen Phil & Lisa Hartley Patti Heinz & Brooke Chaplain Bill & Babette Henagan Ann J. Herrera & Mary M. Goodwin Kenneth & Colleen Hey Dr. Thomas High Azira G. Hill Mrs. Leslie H. Hill & Mr. Jacob C. Hill Sarah & Harvey Hill, Jr. ° Mr. Larry B. Hooks & Mrs. Carole W. Hooks Laurie House Hopkins & John D. Hopkins James & Bridget Horgan ° Mrs. Sally Horntvedt Mr. & Mrs. Brian Huband Dr. Dorothy M. Huenecke Mr. Christopher Hurst Cameron H. Jackson ° Mr. Kevin F. Jameson Aaron & Joyce Johnson Dr. & Mrs. Eike Jordan

Teresa M. Joyce, Ph.D Kyle & Danielle Dr. & Mrs. William C. Land, Jr. Lillian Balentine Law Salli LeVan Mr. & Mrs. J. David Lifsey Dr. Peter C. Mann Dr. Marcus Marr In Memory of Pam McAllister Cody & Missy McClatchey Mr. & Mrs. James McClatchey Mr. & Mrs. Penn McClatchey Birgit & David McQueen Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. McTier Mr. & Mrs. Eugene F. Meany Anna & Hays Mershon Bert & Carmen Mills Mr. & Mrs. Thomas B. Mimms, Jr. Pat Mitchell & Scott Seydel Ms. Helen Motamen & Mr. Deepak Shenoy Mrs. & Mr. George Neil Gary R. Noble, MD & Joanne Heckman Mr. & Mrs. G. Ferrell Patrick Martha & Al Pearson Mr. Greg Poirier Provaré Technology Ms. Ronda Respess Mr. & Mrs. Douglas G. Riffey, Jr. Ms. Francene Riley Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Roberts Betsy & Lee Robinson Dr. Judith C. Rohrer Stuart Romm Ms. Lili Santiago-Silva & Mr. Jim Gray Dr. Marianne Scharbo-DeHaan Drs. Lawrence & Rachel Schonberger Dick Schweitzer Mallie Sharafat Angela Allen Sherzer Alan & Marion Shoenig Helga Hazelrig Siegel Diana Silverman Caryl & Kendrick Smith Mr. Kelly W. Smith James & Shari Steinberg Dr. Steven & Lynne Steindel ° Ms. Lizanne E. Stephenson & Mr. Alan Kendall Dr. & Mrs. John P. Straetmans Lauren, RJ, & Mia Stuart

Ms. Linda F. Terry Herb & Elke Timmerman Duane P. Truex III Mr. Ronald M. Turbayne & Ms. Charlotte S. Lee Wayne & Lee Harper Vason Bill & Judy Vogel Mrs. Joyce Vroon ** Mr. Charles D. Wattles & Ms. Rosemary C. Willey Mr. John Wilson Mrs. Lynne M. Winship Mr. Will Young Herbert** & Grace Zwerner

** = deceased ° = We are grateful to these donors for taking the extra time to acquire matching gifts from their employers. ∞ = Leadership Council We salute these extraordinary donors who have signed pledge commitments to continue their support for three years or more. Patron Leadership (PAL) Committee We give special thanks to this dedicated group of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra donor-volunteers for their commitment to each year’s annual support initiatives: Kristen Fowks chair

Kristi Allpere Helga Beam Bill Buss Pat Buss Deedee Hamburger Judy Hellriegel Belinda Massafra Linda Matthews Sally Parsonson June Scott Milt Shlapak Lara Smith-Sitton Kay Summers Jonne Walter Marcia Watt

44 | encore CORPORATE PARTNERS $250,000+ The Coca-Cola Company Delta Air Lines The Home Depot Foundation $100,000+ Bloomberg Philanthropies Georgia Power Company Piedmont Realty Trust $75,000+ Alston & Bird LLP The Norfolk Southern Corporation $50,000+ Dennis Dean Catering Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta Graphic Packaging International, Inc. Regions Bank $25,000+ Bank of America Charitable Foundation BlueLinx Corporation Chick-fil-A Foundation | Rhonda & Dan Cathy Deloitte Eversheds Sutherland Genuine Parts Company Huntington Bank King & Spalding LLP KPMG LLP, Partners & Employees

$25,000+ CONTINUED Publix Super Markets Charities, Inc. PwC The QUIKRETE® Companies RSUI The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University Truist Bank Warner Bros. Media $15,000+ Atlanta Parent BlackRock Cisco EY FleishmanHillard Google Rough Draft Atlanta Tony Brewer and Company Tower Beer, Wine & Spirits

$10,000+ Buckhead Village Costco Wholesale Georgia-Pacific Gift of Music Greenberg Traurig Merrill Music Matters WABE 90.1 FM WCLK 91.9 FM

$5,000+ A Friend of the Symphony Big Dome Promotions, LLC. Drummond Woodsum FayTak Designs | Farideh Takaloo Perkins&Will The St. Regis Atlanta Ticketmaster $2,000+ Allen Organ Studios Legendary Events Phoenix Senior Living The Piedmont National Family Foundation Premier Events / Chastain Concessions Prime Pharmaceuticals & Compounding Pharmacy Smith + Howard $1,000+ A&E Photobooths Baker Donelson Brooklyn Bagel & Deli Elise

FOUNDATION AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORT $250,000+ Lettie Pate Evans Foundation∞ Goizueta Foundation∞ $100,000+ Emerald Gate Charitable Trust The Halle Foundation Charles Loridans Foundation, Inc. Amy W. Norman Charitable Foundation The Zeist Foundation, Inc. $50,000+ Paul M. Angell Family Foundation The Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation∞

$35,000+ City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs The Roy & Janet Dorsey Foundation Livingston Foundation

$10,000+ Georgia Council for the Arts The Scott Hudgens Family Foundation In Memory of Betty Sands Fuller

$25,000+ The Jim Cox, Jr. Foundation Fulton County Arts & Culture The Graves Foundation The Marcus Foundation, Inc. ∞

$5,000+ The Breman Foundation, Inc. Georgia Department of Public Health

$15,000+ The NAMM Foundation National Endowment for the Arts The Sartain Lanier Family Foundation∞

$2,000+ Catholic Foundation of North Georgia Georgia Humanities $1,000+ Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University The Parham Fund South Arts

encoreatlanta.com | 45 Mr.* & Mrs.* Fred A. Hoyt, Jr. William L.* & Lucia Fairlie* Pulgram Jim* & Barbara Hund Ms. Judy L. Reed* Clayton F. Jackson Carl J. Reith* Mary B. James Vicki J. & Joe A. Riedel H E N RY S O P K I N C I R C L E Nancy Janet Helen & John Rieser Mr. Calvert Johnson & Named for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Mr. Kenneth Dutter Dr. Shirley E. Rivers* founding Music Director, the HENRY SOPKIN Joia M. Johnson David F. & Maxine A.* Rock CIRCLE celebrates cherished individuals and Dr. Jiong Yan & Baxter Jones Glen Rogerson* families who have made a planned gift to the Deforest F. Jurkiewicz* Tiffany & Richard Rosetti Anne Morgan & Jim Kelley Mr.* & Mrs.* Martin H. Sauser Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. These special Bob Kinsey Bob & Mary Martha Scarr donors preserve the Orchestra’s foundation James W.* & Mary Ellen* Mr. Paul S. Scharff & and ensure success for future generations. Ms. Polly G. Fraser Kitchell Dr. Barbara S. Schlefman Miss Florence Kopleff* Bill & Rachel Schultz Mr. Robert Lamy A Friend of the Mr. & Mrs. William R. Cummickel James H. Landon Dr. Sanford & Ellen Schwartz Symphony (22) Bob* & Verdery* Cunningham Ouida Hayes Lanier Mrs. Joan C. Schweitzer* Madeline* & Vivian* & Peter de Kok June & John Scott Lucy Russell Lee* & Howell E. Adams, Jr. Mr. Richard H. Delay & Gary Lee, Jr. Edward G. Scruggs* Mr.* & Mrs.* John E. Aderhold Dr. Francine D. Dykes Ione & John Lee Dr.* & Mrs. George P. Sessions Paul & Melody Aldo John R. Donnell Mr. Larry M. LeMaster Mr. W. G. Shaefer, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Antinori Dixon W. Driggs* Mr.* & Mrs.* William C. Lester Charles H. Siegel* Elizabeth Ann Bair* Pamela Johnson Drummond Liz & Jay* Levine Mr. & Mrs. H. Hamilton Smith Dr. & Mrs. William Bauer Mrs. Kathryn E. Duggleby* Robert M. Lewis, Jr. Mrs. Lessie B. Smithgall* Helga Beam Catherine Warren Dukehart* Carroll & Ruth Liller* Ms. Margo Sommers Mr. Charles D. Belcher* Ms. Diane Durgin Ms. Joanne Lincoln* Elliott Sopkin Neil H. Berman Arnold & Sylvia Eaves Jane Little* Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel Susan & Jack Bertram Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Edge Mrs. J. Erskine Love, Jr.* Mr. Daniel D. Stanley* Mr.* & Mrs.* Karl A. Bevins Geoffrey G. Eichholz* K Maier Gail & Loren Starr The Estate of Donald S. & Elizabeth Etoll John W. Markham* Peter James Stelling* Joyce Bickers Mr. Doyle Faler* Mrs. Ann B. Martin Ms. Barbara Stewart* Ms. Page Bishop* Brien P. Faucett Linda & John Matthews Beth & Edward Sugarman Mr.* & Mrs.* Sol Blaine Dr. Emile T. Fisher* Mr. Michael A. McDowell, Jr. C. Mack* & Mary Rose* Taylor John Blatz Moniqua N Fladger Dr. Michael S. McGarry Isabel Thomson* Rita & Herschel Bloom Mr. & Mrs. Bruce W. Flower Richard & Shirley McGinnis* Jennings Thompson IV The Estate of Mrs. A. D. Frazier, Jr.* John & Clodagh Miller Margaret* & Randolph* Thrower Gilbert H. Boggs, Jr. Nola Frink* Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Mills, IV Kenneth & Kathleen Tice W. Moses Bond Betty* & Drew* Fuller Ms. Vera Milner Mr. H. Burton Trimble, Jr.* Mr.* & Mrs. Robert C. Boozer Sally & Carl Gable Mrs. Gene Morse* Mr. Steven R. Tunnell Elinor A. Breman* William & Carolyn Gaik Hal Matthew Mueller* & Mr. & Mrs. John B. Uttenhove Carol J. Brown Dr. John W. Gamwell* Constance Lombardo Robert & Amy Vassey James C. Buggs* Mr.* & Mrs.* L.L. Gellerstedt, Jr. Ms. Janice Murphy* Mrs. Anise C. Wallace* Hugh W. Burke* Ruth Gershon & Sandy Cohn Mr. & Mrs. Bertil D. Nordin Diane Woodard & Mr. & Mrs. William Buss Max Gilstrap* Mrs. Amy W. Norman* Bruce Wardrep Wilber W. Caldwell* Mr. & Mrs. John T. Glover Galen Oelkers Mr. Robert Wardle, Jr. Mr.* & Mrs. C. Merrell Calhoun Mrs. David Goldwasser* Roger B. Orloff The Allan Wasserman Cynthia & Donald Carson Robert Hall Gunn, Jr. Fund Charitable Remainder Trust Barbara D. Orloff Mrs. Jane Celler* Billie & Sig Guthman* Mr. & Mrs. Paul Joseph Owen Jr. Mr. & Mrs. John B. White, Jr. Mr. Jeffery B. Chancellor & Betty G.* & Joseph* F. Haas Adair & Dick White Dr. Bernard* & Sandra Palay Mr. Cameron England Dr. Charles H. Hamilton* Mr. Hubert H. Whitlow, Jr.* Sally & Pete Parsonson Lenore Cicchese* Bonnie Harris Sue & Neil* Williams James L. Paulk Dr.* & Mrs. Grady S. Sally & Paul* Hawkins Suzanne Bunzl Wilner Ralph & Suzanne Paulk Clinkscales, Jr. John* & Martha Head Mrs. Frank L. Wilson, Jr. Dan R. Payne Suzanne W. Cole Sullivan Ms. Jeannie Hearn* Mrs. Elin M. Winn Bill Perkins Robert Boston Colgin Barbara & John Henigbaum* Ms. Joni Winston Mrs. Lela May Perry* Mrs. Mary Frances Ms. Elizabeth Hendrick Mr.* & Mrs. Rezin E. Pidgeon, Jr. George & Camille Wright Evans Comstock* Jill* & Jennings* Hertz Mr.* & Mrs.* Charles R. Yates Janet M. Pierce* Miriam* & John A.* Conant Mr.* & Mrs. Charles K. Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr. Dr. John W. Cooledge Holmes, Jr. * deceased Dr. John B. Pugh Dr. Janie Cowan

aso.org | @AtlantaSymphony | facebook.com/AtlantaSymphony

46 | encore ASO | STAFF EXECUTIVE

OPERATIONS

Jennifer Barlament

Emily Liao Master vice president & general

executive director

SALES & REVENUE MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT

Russell Wheeler vice president, sales &

vice president of

Grace Sipusic

Lizzy Clements

manager

executive assistant, senior

Hannah Pearson

management

assistant general manager

Nancy James

Alvinetta Cooksey executive &

Marcia Chandler

front of house manager

development

Erin Jones

Renee Contreras

finance assistant

Emma Luty

audience development

institutional giving

Jesse Pace

Rachel Bender

ARTISTIC

chorus administrator

principal librarian

Meredith Morse

Sara Baguyos

artistic administrator

associate principal

Catherine Barkes

librarian

executive assistant to the

James Nelson

music director

assistant librarian

Zachary Nelson

David Lesser

artistic liaison

director of orchestra

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

personnel

Meagan Rwambaisire

Sarah Grant

personnel manager

vice president of education

& community engagement Ryan Walks atlanta symphony youth

Elena Gagon Dunn family programs & community engagement manager

Michael Kralik manager of school engagement

Kamyron Williams talent development program manager

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION Susan Ambo executive vice president

& cfo Kimberly Hielsberg vice president of finance

April Satterfield controller

Brandi Reed staff accountant

senior director of sales &

development

William Keene senior director of

director of development,

senior manager of ticketing associate director of

& patron experience

individual giving

Dennis Quinlan manager, business insights & analytics

James Paulk

Robin Smith

Beth Freeman

guest services coordinator

senior manager of major

Brandon Eggert

gifts

senior annual giving officer

audience development

Sharveace Cameron

associate

senior development

Dasha Allen

ATLANTA SYMPHONY HALL LIVE

associate

Crystal Fasanya

Nicole Panunti vice president, atlanta

assistant orchestra

production manager, aso production manager,

orchestra & teen programs goizueta & education manager

revenue management

Harold Abbott head flyman/carpenter Lydia Falcon stage technician

Will Field stage technician

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Ashley Mirakian vice president, marketing & communications

Camille McClain director of marketing

& communications Adam Fenton director of multimedia technology

Matt Dykeman director of digital content

communications

Will Strawn

Matthew Enfinger manager, corporate

director of marketing

Christine Lawrence

AJ McCurry

parking

manager of donor

Liza Palmer

engagement and events

director of operations

Dan Nesspor

senior ticketing manager, atlanta symphony hall live

Nicole Jurovics booking & contract manager

Lisa Eng senior manager of creative services, live & development

Meredith Chapple associate marketing manager, live

Maria Austin

marketing coordinator, live

Steven Thompson event coordinator, live

senior manager of marketing & communications

relations

director of ticketing &

senior manager of creative

Amy Godwin

and development

symphony hall live

Whitney Hendrix services

Jenny Ricke manager, grants

RaSheed Lemon

event coordinator, live

Gregory Freeman development associate

48 48| encore ASO | CORPORATE & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

Major support is provided by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Major funding is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.

This program is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

encoreatlanta.com | 49

THE WOODRUFF CIRCLE Thank you to our Woodruff Circle donors, whose generous annual support advances the transformative arts and education programs of the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art.

$1,000,000+

A Friend of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra • Lauren Amos The Estate of Rose Mary Kolpatzki • Orange Barrel Media

$500,000 - $999,999 Anonymous

Georgia Power Foundation

Art Bridges Foundation

The Home Depot Foundation

Dan and Merrie Boone Foundation

The SKK Foundation

Alfred A. Thornton Venable Trust

$250,000 - $499,999 Bank of America

Lucy Clair Harris Atlanta Arts Trust

The Rich’s Foundation

Molly Blank Fund

Sarah and Jim Kennedy

The Shubert Foundation

Bloomberg Philanthropies

E. McBurney Trust

Truist Trusteed Foundations:

The Chestnut Family Foundation

Norfolk Southern Foundation

Chick-fil-A Foundation |

Novelis, Inc.

Rhonda and Dan Cathy Google

Nell Warren Elkin and William Simpson Elkin Foundation

PNC

UPS

Garnet and Dan Reardon

The Zeist Foundation, Inc.

$100,000 - $249,999 A Friend of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (3)

The Estate of Mr. Max M. Gilstrap Graphic Packaging

Amy W. Norman Charitable Foundation

International, Inc.

Piedmont Realty Trust

Farideh and Al Azadi Foundation

The Halle Foundation

Patty and Doug Reid

Sandra and Dan Baldwin

Huntington Bank

Terra Foundation

The Arthur M. Blank Family

The Imlay Foundation

Alston & Bird

Foundation Helen Gurley Brown Foundation City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Sheila Lee Davies and Jon Davies

Mr. and Mrs. M. Douglas Ivester King & Spalding, Partners and Employees KPMG LLP, Partners and Employees Sartain Lanier Family Foundation The Charles Loridans

Emerald Gate Charitable Trust

Foundation, Inc.

Barney M. Franklin and Hugh W.

Henry Luce Foundation

Burke Charitable Fund

The Marcus Foundation

for American Art Carol and Ramon Tomé Family Fund Warner Bros. Discovery The Estate of Mr. Frederick D. Weaver Kelly and Rod Westmoreland

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