Welcome to the Cobb Symphony Orchestra (CSO)

A Signature Season for
The Cobb Symphony Orchestra!

The 2009 - 2010 Cobb Symphony Orchestra Season

Season to reflect orchestra's vision and passion for timeless classics, new works and innovative approaches.

Virtuoso friends of the CSO return to celebrate - including pianist Esther Buudiardjo, vocalists Adam Kirkpatrick, Jana Young and Magdalana Wor; and percussionist John Lawless.

Season highlights to include Mahler's Second Symphony, Sibelius' Symphony No.1, Verdi's Force of Destiny and Adams' The Wound Dresser

Pops to feature top artists in an un-staged production of Carousel and the glorious sounds of the Cobb Symphony Chorus and Chamber Chorus

Sam Skelton continues the drive with CSO Jazz!

The Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus feature the critically acclaimed Charae Krueger, cello; David Perry (principal violin, Pro Arte Quartet); and composer Brett Bawcom

The Georgia Center for the Arts continues to be a center of innovation with workshops and classes including the International Frame Drumming Conference and Podcast Interviews with guests from across the nation.

The Cobb Symphony Orchestra launches a significant and celebratory season in 2009-2010: a very personal, milestone year for the organization as a whole. The Cobb Symphony Orchestra begins this next chapter with the Symphony surrounded by artists with whom the CSO has developed close relationships and programming that features music with deep meaning. The season, which also reflects the CSO's vision for the future, includes inventive, forward-thinking projects. These include the launch of the Cobb Symphony Orchestra Chamber Singers and a Composer's Concert featuring entirely new works written by local composers Robert Cronin (featuring Christina Smith, flute) and Jennifer Mitchell, coupled with everyone's favorite, Copland's Appalachian Spring.

"This season will capture people's imagination and truly move them with pieces like the captivating Piano Concerto by Ravel with Esther Budiardjo and the exhilarating Thieving Magpie Overture by Rossini," says CSO Music Director Michael Alexander. "It explores all of our human emotions and will speak to a wide variety of audiences. We are proud to make music with over 1,000 people in our community and look forward to yet another year of artistic growth and service to our community."

Other highlights taking place at the Cobb Symphony's home, the Murray Arts Center of Mount Paran Christian School, include Amy Beach's Second Symphony, also known as the Gaelic Symphony; Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun; and Nielsen's Symphony No.4, the Inextinguishable. The Cobb Symphony is also pleased to continue its partnership with Kennesaw State University and will be presented Mahler's magnificient Second Symphony in the Dr. Bobbie Bailey and Family Performing Arts Center.

In addition to the classical music offerings, the Cobb Symphony also announces a spectacular season of Pops - one that promises to be the most exhilarating ever, starring some of the leading entertainers and artists in the region!

"Very few orchestras are a part of such rapid artistic and educational development as the Cobb Symphony," says Executive Director Brian Hermanson. "And while we are celebrating the magnificent men and women of the Cobb Symphony and all its progams, we are also celebrating the commitment and support we continue to receive from our many generous patrons throughout the region, without whom the CSO would not exist."

Cobb Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
2009 - 2010 Season Schedule

Master Works #1
September 12 8:00 pm, September 13 3:00 pm
Adam Kirkpatrick, Tenor
Verdi - Overture to La forza del destino
Adams - The Wound Dresser
Beach - Symphony #2 (Gaelic)

Master Works #2 (at Kennesaw State University)
October 17 8:00 pm, October 18 3:00 pm
Jana Young, soprano
Magdalana Wor, mezzo
Cobb Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Mahler - Symphony #2 (Resurrection)

Cobb Symphony Chorus Chamber Singers
November 7 8:00 pm
Bryan Black, director

Holiday Pops with the CSO!
December 5 3:00 pm (at the Murray Arts Center)
December 5 7:00 pm (at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church)
Anderson - Sleigh Ride
Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker Suite
Traditional Holiday Melody

Composer's Concert
January 9 8 pm
Cobb Symphony Orchestra
Cristina Smith, flute
Jen Mitchell, guest composer
Robert Cronin, guest composer
Copland - Applachian Spring

CSO Jazz!
Sam Skelton, director
January 23 8 PM

Master Works #3
February 13 8:00 pm, February 14 3:00 pm
John Lawless, percussion
Rossini - Overture to La gazza ladra
Schwantner - Concerto for Percussion
Sibelius - Symphony #1

CSO Pops
March 13 8:00 pm, March 14 3:00 pm
John Concklin, conductor
Cobb Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Soloists, TBA
Rodgers and Hammerstein, Carousel

Master Works #4
April 10 8:00 pm, April 11 3:00 pm
Esther Budiardjo, piano
Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Ravel - Piano Concerto in G Major
Nielsen - Symphony #4 (Inextinguishable)

Cobb Symphony Chorus and Chamber Singers
May 15 8 pm
Bryan Black, director

Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
2009 - 2010 Season Schedule

Sunday, September 13, 2009
David Perry, guest presenter

Sunday, November 15, 2009
Brett Bawcom, guest composer

Sunday, February 28, 2010
Charae Krueger, cello

Sunday, May 9, 2010
Soloists, TBA

All concerts and other events are held at the Bobbie Bailey and Family Performing Arts Center
at Kennesaw State University

About the Cobb Symphony Orchestra:

As one of Cobb's fastest growing arts organizations, the Cobb Symphony has engaged audiences through imaginative programming, visionary leadership, and critically acclaimed performances for nearly six decades.

The Cobb Symphony directly brings together over a 1,000 people through the:

· Cobb Symphony Orchestra - a dynamic blend of professional and avid amateur musicians dedicated to presenting performances of the highest caliber in unique ways
· Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra program - the largest youth orchestra program in the southeast, bringing together over 350 students weekly for rehearsals and performances;
· Georgia Center for the Arts - a unique and vibrant approach to furthering musical passions and developing arts patrons of all ages;
· Cobb Symphony Jazz - An initiative which serves to enrich the artistic substance and perpetuate the democratic spirit of America's music;
· Cobb Symphony Chorus and Chamber Chorus - an all-volunteer chorus under guidance of Bryan Black dedicated to exploring new works and redefining masterworks.

The Cobb Symphony's objective is to ensure artistic excellence in a diverse community that takes pride in the Orchestra's artistic success and feels a sense of ownership for the Orchestra. The Cobb Symphony is further dedicated to becoming a catalyst for community collaborations and for lifelong learning, using technology and other means to broaden the musical experience of current and future audiences.

The Cobb Symphony wide spread support annually attracts over 10,000 people to a variety of performances including four masterworks, two pops and a plethora of family offerings. With an annual budget just over a million, the Cobb Symphony employs over 70 musical artists in the community and draws the majority of its funding from memberships and individual donations.

The Cobb Symphony is an active member of the League of American Orchestras, the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, United Arts of Cobb, and the Cobb County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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