We had a fantastic week of music-making together, closing out our beloved Robert Spano’s 20-year tenure as the Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Having been allowed a maximum of 35 musicians onstage this season, it was surreal to gather 70 members strong for the first time in over a year to bring to life Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. From the familiar opening sounds of Mahler’s sleigh bells to the angelic finale, goosebumps were felt by more than a few of us from the sonic beauty and the poignant moment we were all experiencing together. Maestro Spano has been so much more than just our Music Director; he has been a collaborator, an innovator, and, above all, a friend to the musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Though he directed his first concert in Atlanta immediately following the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks and concluded his tenure in the waning days of the worldwide Covid 19 pandemic, the beauty created during, around, and in-spite of those events with Maestro Spano will never be forgotten. He has left a legacy of recordings, the formation of the Atlanta School of Composers, and a humanity that will resonate with all of us onstage for many years to come. We thank you, Maestro, for the love and inspiration that you have given the Atlanta Symphony musicians!
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