Georgia Symphony Orchestra recounts roots in Marietta, highlights sensory-friendly and youth programs

Cobb County District 1 Commissioner Kelly Gamble welcomed representatives of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra to the commission meeting to mark the orchestra’s founding in Marietta in 1951 and to highlight the organization’s community outreach and education programs, including a sensory-friendly family concert scheduled for Oct. 11 at the Jenny T. Anderson Civic Center Auditorium.

The orchestra traces its origin to the Marietta Music Club, which met in homes around Marietta and “was really born in the Moore House, also known as the Van Pearlman House on Church Street,” Susan Tucker, a guest with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, said during the Oct. 1 presentation. “It was a music club made up of, mostly women who just wanted to socialize. They wanted to learn about music.”

Why it matters: The orchestra’s local roots and multi-decade commitment to education shape its current programming, outreach and audience-development approach in Cobb County and the greater Atlanta region. Orchestra representatives emphasized programs aimed at reducing access barriers for families and children and expanding youth opportunities.

The organization described an evolution from an amateur community ensemble to a largely professional regional orchestra. Tucker said the group began receiving calls from musicians after an announcement in the Marietta Daily Journal advertised a new symphony, which prompted the ensemble to formalize and grow.

Dr. Tim Vervell, also a guest from the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, described how the orchestra builds season programming and balances repertoire. “We look at what we’ve done, and we look at where we want to go. We look at the music that’s going to challenge us as an ensemble,” Vervell said. He said programming decisions weigh musical challenge, thematic ideas for concerts and audience experience, from classics to novelty programs such as a video-game-music concert.

Education and access programs were central to the presentation. “Our mission statement is to remove barriers to access so that more people can experience the transformative power of music,” Tucker said. She told commissioners the orchestra launched sensory-friendly performances after a family with two young autistic boys requested accommodations that would make concerts comfortable for them. Tucker described the sensory-friendly concerts as events where audience members may move around, sing, clap or otherwise participate in ways that make a performance more welcoming to people with sensory sensitivities.

The Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra, the organization said, is marking its 20th anniversary and currently includes nearly 300 students. Tucker said the youth orchestra provides instruction, ensemble experience and pathway opportunities for students across the county and region. She also noted earlier educational efforts such as the former Cobb Symphony Orchestra’s Lollipops concerts as part of a longer local history of youth programming.

Tucker cited a Make‑A‑Wish Georgia request the orchestra fulfilled to allow a wheelchair‑user to conduct onstage as an example of the group’s outreach work. Vervell added that memorable concert moments can be personal and community‑oriented, from reconnecting an audience member with music tied to family memories to facilitating special requests.

The orchestra invited residents to engage through multiple avenues: purchase tickets, join the community chorus, audition for the youth symphony, sponsor concerts as a business or otherwise volunteer. Tucker announced the next sensory-friendly and family concert would be Oct. 11 at the Jenny T. Anderson Civic Center Auditorium and said it will feature music from video games performed by the full orchestra.

No formal commission actions, votes or funding requests were made during the presentation. The remarks were delivered as a recognition and informational item within the commission meeting.

The Georgia Symphony Orchestra asked the public to visit georgiasymphony.org for season and ticket information and for details on educational and volunteer opportunities.