The remarkable tapestry of Macon’s history, interwoven with the lives of those who shaped her future, the sumptuous array of architecture and the people nurtured here who left Macon to pursue stellar careers in the arts and other endeavors, would not be complete were it not for the formation of the Macon Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Albert McKay, president of the Macon Historical Society, whose headquarters was the Sidney Lanier Cottage on High Street, could not have envisioned the impact of his request for a musical tribute to the poet 31 years ago. From that first performance of a cantata, written for the words of one of Lanier’s poems, the momentum has continued.
Lowen Marshall and Michael Schwartzkopf, both on the faculty of Mercer’s music department, brought Kruger served as conductor until 1983. Adrian Gnam was selected as music director and conductor in the 1983-84 season. Rehearsals continued in Ware Hall at Mercer with the musicians using Mercer’s instruments until 1987. That year a development director was hired to initiate grants for the purchase of the symphony’s own instruments and other equipment.
In the 1980s, the symphony moved its residence to Wesleyan’s campus on Forsyth Road, still performing at the Grand Opera House on Saturday evenings during the season and at Porter Auditorium on Sundays from 1987 to 1989. That arduous subscription schedule was reduced to single performances on Saturdays at Porter.
With the purchase of the Grand Opera House by Mercer University and the generosity of the school in offering office space and a performance venue at the Grand, the symphony eventually moved its performances back to the Grand. Although all subscription concerts are held in this beautifully restored hall, pops concerts and performances for the middle Georgia community and, specifically children, are held in various locations for the broadest outreach and appeal.
With renowned conductor Adrian Gnam at the helm for 25 years, the symphony has recorded its own CD, (available at every concert performance), and attracted over 200 |
