Athens Symphony season starts Sunday

The Athens Symphony Orchestra is set for the start of its 40th season in Athens: a concert at the Classic Center is set for 3 o’clock Sunday afternoon.

The Fall concert will feature selections from Franz Schubert, Carl Maria von Weber and Franz Liszt, among others.

“The approach of our 40th season is an opportunity to reflect on the Symphony’s commitment to providing the highest quality music for Athens,” said Dr. Richard Hudson, Executive Director of the Symphony. “We would not be here without the support of our community and we like to think we give back by contributing to the overall quality of life here.”

Forty years after its inception, the Symphony still honors the mission of Founding Conductor Albert F. Ligotti by making all of its concerts free and open to the public. Tickets are complimentary but required and may be picked up at The Classic Center Box Office.

Betty Eckels Fellowship

At a time when community symphonies across the country are struggling with concert attendance, funding and overhead costs, the Athens Symphony thrives all the while providing six free concerts a year, scholarships for music students at the University of Georgia and the new Betty Eckels Fellowship, which was created to afford student musicians, who may not qualify for the Symphony’s scholarship program, the opportunity to continue playing with the Symphony.

“Betty Eckels has been a generous, long-time supporter of the Symphony and we are proud to present the first Fellowship to the Symphony’s principal cellist Ana Abrantes,” said Susan Dinwiddie, Conductor. “Ana mirrors Ms. Eckels’ dedication and passion for the Symphony and our community and is a natural fit for this Fellowship.” Ms. Abrantes, a recent graduate of UGA’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, will begin the Fall concert with the musical selection Poema III, Op. 94 No. 3, a piece from her Doctor of Musical Arts recital.

About the Athens Symphony

The Athens Symphony was founded in the summer of 1978, when a group of local musicians convened following a survey by the Clarke County Office of Cultural Affairs that determined a strong desire within the community for a symphony orchestra. Early on, it was decided that the symphony should be a not-forprofit organization, that its members would be unpaid volunteers from Athens and the surrounding communities and that its concerts should be both free of charge and appealing to general audiences.

The non-profit organization operates through the generosity of private donors and the support of its sponsors: AT&T; Athens Banner-Herald; Athens First Bank & Trust; Boom Magazine; Chick Piano; The Classic Center; Cofer’s Home and Garden; ENT of Athens; Fortson, Bentley and Griffin; Jackson Spalding; Mercedes-Benz of Athens; Piedmont Athens Regional; Tena’s Fine Diamonds and Jewelry WGAU Fox News 1340 am. ###