Fall in Atlanta brings with it a healthy range of jazz and classical concerts. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra starts its new season with cellist Alisa Weilerstein on Oct. 3 at Symphony Hall and also programs one-off showcases like the Talent Development Program recital at Spivey Hall Sept. 14. But for a richer picture of how the Atlanta instrumental music scene has evolved, be ready to stray from the beaten path of large cultural institutions. Let the concerts below serve as merely a jumping-off point to exploring Atlanta’s rich instrumental music offerings.
Kinnara Sings. Professional choral ensemble Kinnara begins its 17th season with “Written in the Air,” a concert centered around “Requiem” by Herbert Howells. Organizers have programmed the remainder of the music to focus on “poetry, philosophy and sacred fragments to explore the space between silence and sound.” Check out one of Atlanta’s other great professional choirs, Atlanta Master Chorale, Oct. 10 at Emory University’s Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.
Sept. 6. Central Presbyterian Church, 201 Washington St. SW., Atlanta. kinnara.org
All Saints Jazz. Drummer Robert Boone Jr. starts off the second season of Jazz at All Saints. The four-concert season also features vocalist Nnenna Freelon (Nov. 14), trumpeter Darren English (Feb. 13) and the Brandee Younger Trio (March 13). By the end of that run, the jazz scene will have gotten at least one new venue. Cornerstone Jazz Center in Decatur is expected to open in the first quarter.
Sept. 12. All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 634 W. Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta. 404-881-0835, allsaintsatlanta.org
Chopin to the max. New York-based pianist Jack Gao closes out the 2025 Nancy Frampton Rising Artists Series in September with an all-Chopin recital. From the Étude Op. 10 No. 3, written in 1832, to Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat major from nearly 15 years later, Gao has selected eight works for his bite-sized look at the composer’s oeuvre.
Sept. 20. Morningside Presbyterian Church, 1411 N. Morningside Drive NE, Atlanta. www.morningsidepc.org
Credit: Steve Eberhardt
Credit: Steve Eberhardt
A long goodbye. Saxophonist Jeff Crompton has been putting together innovative Atlanta instrumental ensembles for nearly three decades. These efforts can loosely be termed jazz, but there’s oh so much more beneath the surface. Alas, Crompton will be moving out West this fall. He’s not leaving before he plays a handful of gigs, one of which is a Monday Night Creative Music series concert at Eyedrum. He’ll be performing with pianist Ipek Eginli and trombonists Peter Sloan and Jeff Albert.
Sept. 22. Eyedrum, 515 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. SW, Atlanta. eyedrum.org
St. Martin in the Fields. The chamber version of the heralded, London-based Academy of St. Martin in the Fields ensemble swings through the area in October as part of a seven-city tour. The concert will include a new work by British composer Huw Watkins and Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat major. The night after playing in Atlanta, the ensemble will perform the same program in Athens.
Oct. 4. Kennesaw State University’s Bailey Performing Arts Center, 488 Prillaman Way, Kennesaw. 470-578-6000, kennesaw.edu/arts
Handel’s little opera. For the second concert of its 27th season, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra will present Handel’s “Acis and Galatea,” a short, Baroque opera based on Ovid’s “Metamorphoses.” Singers from Georgia State University, under the direction of Deanna Joseph, join the ensemble. Additional performances include concerts at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church in Atlanta (Nov. 15) and Lassiter Concert Hall in Marietta (Nov. 16).
Nov. 14. Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta. atlantabaroque.org
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