Henry Sopkins' role in founding the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Founded: 1945 – Atlanta, USA
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra debuted in 1945 as the Atlanta
Youth Symphony, organized by members of the Atlanta Music Club and later guided
by a Board of Directors.
Henry Sopkin, a gifted young conductor and
educator from Chicago, was brought in as Conductor on a one-year contract. He
remained with the organization for more than two decades and built it from a
youth ensemble into a respected regional orchestra.
By 1947, the fledgling group had become the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the
Symphony Guild became more active in fundraising and ticket sales. Within a
decade, the orchestra's budget tripled. The Symphony expanded its repertoire,
increased its special programs for young people, and brought top-flight soloists
such as Glenn Gould and Isaac Stern to Atlanta. In 1964, the ASO was a founding
member of the Atlanta Arts Alliance, the arts organization that has evolved into
today's Woodruff Arts Center.
As it grew, the Orchestra continued to employ all its musicians on a part-time
basis until 1968, even as the pioneering efforts of Sopkin raised the
performance quality of the ASO to a professional level. Upon his retirement in
1966, a year-long search had already identified a music director to guide the
Atlanta Symphony into a new era of growth.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is one of the youngest American orchestras
to achieve prominence on the global stage. Now in its 56th season,
the ASO's stature was most recently affirmed when - following a two-year
international search - the Orchestra announced on February 8, 2000, the
appointments of Robert Spano as Music Director Designate and Donald Runnicles as
Principal Guest Conductor Designate.
The hiring of the two critically-acclaimed maestros were greeted with virtually
universal acclaim. Approaching their leadership role with the Orchestra as a
creative partnership, both conductors will officially begin their full duties in
September 2001. (Each will also continue with the organization he currently
conducts, Mr. Spano with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra and Runnicles with
the San Francisco Opera.)
During the current 2000-01 season, Spano conducts the ASO in four weekends of
concerts, Mr. Runnicles in three, and both will record with the Orchestra for
Telarc. Their partnership, which has already begun, clearly signals a dynamic,
new era for the ASO and an enlightening experience for Atlanta music lovers.
Information from http://www.atlantasymphony.org