Georgia Symphony Orchestra returns for 71st season in Cobb

At 8 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Marietta Performing Arts Center, 1171 Whitlock Ave. NW, Marietta, the orchestra will kick off the season with “Mahler, smahler,” a reduced orchestration of Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony.

This work often is referred to as Mahler’s most “chamber-like” due to the intricacies and interplay between instrumental sections.

Acclaimed soprano and Marietta native Maria Valdes will be the featured soloist.

GSO Classics Series

The GSO’s Classics Series, led by Music Director and Conductor Timothy Verville, will feature three classical performances at the Marietta Performing Arts Center or the Bailey Center for the Performing Arts at Kennesaw State University.

Scheduled for 8 p.m. on Feb. 26 at the Marietta Performing Arts Center, the GSO’s performance of “Beethoven at the Beach” will feature Amy Beach’s “Symphony No. 2,” the first symphony written and published by an American woman composer, and Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto in D Major.”

The award-winning violinist, Minami Yoshida, will join the GSO for her American debut. A major prize winner at the Montreal and Sibelius competitions, Yoshida has performed with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and others.

The Classics series concludes at 8 p.m. on May 21 with a concert entitled “The Firebird and Music of Remembrance” at the Dr. Bobbie Bailey and Family Performance Center, 488 Prillaman Way, Kennesaw.

This performance will include American composer Jennifer Higdon’s “Blue Cathedral,” one of her most performed works, and Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” (1919), which is a collection of music from the ballet of the same name.

GSO Chorus

The concert also will feature the GSO’s 90-voice GSO Chorus for which auditions will be held Aug. 31. (Visit GSOchorus.org.)

For free, the GSO Chorus and a GSO Brass Quintet will perform at the Military Appreciation Celebration at 9 a.m. Nov. 13 at the Marietta Square, supporting the Veterans Day 5K of American Legion Post 29.

Holiday Pops

In addition to the Classics series, the GSO’s season will include its Holiday Pops, Sensory Friendly and GSO Jazz! concerts.

Two shows of the GSO’s Holiday Pops concert will be held at the Marietta Performing Arts Center at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Dec. 4.

In addition to a traditional sing-along and holiday favorites, the concert will feature the winner of its Virtual to Center Stage competition, who is opera vocalist Lainie Ewers, and Santa Claus.

GSO Jazz!

GSO Jazz!, led by Music Director Sam Skelton, will welcome fans of this uniquely American music genre to the historic Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre, 117 N. Park Square, on the Marietta Square at 8 p.m. on Feb. 12 and April 2 to enjoy jazz small ensemble and classic Big Band repertoire.

Sensory Friendly Concert

The GSO will hold its annual Sensory Friendly performance at 2 p.m. on March 12 at the Marietta Performing Arts Center.

Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and designed specifically for individuals with sensory sensitivities and their families, the concert will feature a range of musical selections.

Audience members may change seats, move about the auditorium, sing, vocalize, even yell out “Bravo!” after their newly discovered classical favorites.

COVID-19 procedures

To ensure the health and safety of its patrons, musicians and staff, the GSO will follow all recommended CDC COVID-19 protocols at its partner venues.

That means all GSO patrons must wear facial masks and be vaccinated fully by the date of their visit. Patrons can show either paper or electronic documentation, including a photo of their immunization card. Visit GeorgiaSymphony.org/safety.

For more information on season subscription packages or individual concert tickets, visit GeorgiaSymphony.org/all-events.