As part of our 75th Anniversary celebration, we hope you’ll enjoy the second installment of a new storytelling series in The Score, written by Paige Perkins and told through the voice of our fictional friend, Pert-the GSO’s most enthusiastic (and possibly longest-serving) supporter. With humor, heart, and a healthy dose of Southern charm, Pert will guide readers through the GSO’s early days and its evolution into the vibrant organization it is today.
Written by lifelong music lover and natural storyteller Paige Perkins, these monthly tales offer a delightful peek behind the curtain of our rich history.
We hope you’ll follow along-and as Pert would say, “Stay out of treble!”
I sure hope you had a lovely summer. The humidity about did me in! I stayed mostly inside reading and listening to the radio. Weren’t you sad Lois Reitzes retired? Bless her heart she’s earned a rest after 45 years!
That’s the thing about doing something you love, it’s hard to stop. Like me volunteering for our orchestra. From the moment I helped set up chairs at Mrs. Arthur Moor’s house for the Marietta Music Club, I was dedicated to the cause. When the Junior League helped form the Women’s Guild in ’66, I said “sign me up!” And, when the Guild decided to be a stand-alone organization in ’72, well, no one was prouder than me to support our Marietta Community Symphony.
Back then everything had to be done in person. Everything! We set up chairs for concerts, ran programs to the printer, sold tickets, ushered, and sometimes turned out the lights at the end of the night. The Guild had monthly meetings to make sure everything ran like a top. These weren’t Zoomie meetings on the computer. These were formal, with agendas and marching orders for all members. No sitting in our housecoat at the kitchen table. We were dressed up with hats, gloves, and heels!
We considered ourselves the “fifth section” of the orchestra. We might not have been on stage like the strings or the woodwinds, but we certainly felt like we helped everyone up there. I’ve gone so far as to make sure visiting musicians actually made it on stage. My old Buick had an extra large back seat and trunk, so I chauffeured Bassoonists and Bass players when needed!
In my 75 years of service I’ve probably collected 5,000 tickets and folded 10,000 programs. I’ve spent many an hour sitting with Guild members, all ladies back then, listening to music on the stereo, quietly folding each program just so for the next concert.
And, in the process, I made lifelong friends.
When my first husband dropped dead of a heart attack, it was members of the Guild who stepped in to help this young widow. The Guild members helped arrange everything at the funeral home, selected the music, and even got the car washed for me. They sat right there behind me at the church, and from that point on they made sure I had a seat saved at every concert. The Guild made me keep going. It kept music, friendship, and purpose in my life.
I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s true. I’m not exaggerating because it wasn’t just me that the Symphony Guild helped. I’ll tell you right now that the Guild was the training ground for many a PTA President, Garden Club Board member, and in some cases, elected officials who probably learned from their mother!
Most recently we had the Friends of the GSO, and men got to join which was wonderful. They did all sorts of lovely events to help raise money for our orchestra. I was especially fond of the Celebrity Luncheons, but I’ll get into the special events later!
At my age I can’t run up and down the road like I used to. But, I still find ways to help. Of course having season tickets is the easiest, but we still need ushers, and folks to help with events. Maybe not as many as in my day, but still every person can play a role.
You can visit the GSO website where you can see all the ways you can support our orchestra. Just tap on where it says “Volunteer” and see what appeals to you. Isn’t that simple?
We’re always going to need folks in our off-stage section of the orchestra. Believe me 75 years didn’t just happen without a whole lot of love and support.
Until next time, stay out of treble!
Pert
Paige Perkins is a writer who was fortunate to be raised with master story tellers. A longtime Atlanta resident, she’s spent the last 25 years working in the management of homeowner associations, of which she’s gathered material for at least three books!
A lover of all types of music, she went to college on a vocal performance scholarship. There she learned the important lesson that she was good enough for Sunday morning choir but not for a career. However, her love of all things opera, choral, and symphonic remains strong to this day.
For her, the opportunity to help tell the story of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra is a true gift. It melds together her love of music along with the best of the Southern story-telling traditions.
