This article is the tenth installment in our special anniversary series, originally published in the Marietta Daily Journal. As the Georgia Symphony Orchestra celebrates 75 years of music, connection, and community, the MDJ continues to generously partner with us to help share our story.
Through this ongoing collaboration, we’re offering behind-the-scenes glimpses into the heart of the GSO-highlighting our history, our musicians, our programs, and the exciting future ahead. We’re deeply grateful to our hometown paper and the community that has made this milestone possible and continues to support the music we bring to our region.
By Adam Stensland, Secretary, GSO Board of Directors, and Susan Stensland, Former GSO Executive Director
As the Georgia Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 75th anniversary season, I find myself reflecting not only on concerts and milestones, but on the way this organization builds community.
I grew up attending Georgia Symphony Orchestra performances, then known as the Cobb Symphony, with my family. My grandmother, Barbara Hammond, a lifelong music educator, inspired my early connection to music by helping young children discover its gift.
In our home, concerts were part of the rhythm of life. The orchestra was part of who we were.
My own musical journey began at a Cobb Symphony “instrument petting zoo” when I was in third grade. Picking up a trumpet led to years of playing and marching, including the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin with Harrison High and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Georgia Tech. All of it traces back to that early exposure. Today, as Secretary of the GSO Board of Directors, I have the privilege of supporting many of the musicians who inspired me as a child and continue to inspire our community now.
That is what makes this orchestra different. It does more than perform music. It cultivates people and deepens the ties that connect us.
Founded in 1951 as the Marietta Community Symphony, the GSO understood that sustaining music required more than performance. It required connection. Through musicales, socials and fundraisers, music brought people into the same room and helped build the relationships that sustained the organization for decades.
Support from members of the Marietta Junior League helped establish the Woman’s Guild, which later evolved into today’s Friends of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra. Through the decades, themed galas, including the Roaring 20s Bash and the 2004 Georgia on Our Mind gala, continued that tradition. Celebrity Luncheons created space for conversation between patrons and performers.
These events mattered because they cultivated civic investment. The symphony became a shared endeavor sustained by people who believed in its value.
“In those early days, everything felt very personal. We built connection by holding meetings in people’s homes, staying in touch through newsletters and celebrating milestones together. Fundraising was truly ‘fun raising,’ rooted in food, friendship and a shared love of the music. That spirit became the foundation for everything the GSO is today,” said Mary Kay Howard, former co-interim executive director and board member.
“The Roaring 20s fundraiser at Don and Kimberly Maynard’s home was unforgettable. Everyone was dressed to the nines. There was dancing, an enormous silent auction and incredible energy. It all came together in a special way. It was great fun, but it also showed how invested people were,” said Eric Bowles, former board member.
Education remains central to that mission. Since 2006, the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra has served more than 200 students annually and has shaped the musical journeys of thousands of young people. Today, it stands as one of the largest youth orchestra programs in the Southeast. Beyond technical training, it cultivates discipline, collaboration and confidence.
Programs like instrument exploration events and youth ensembles create more than musicians. They create belonging.
Accessibility is another expression of that commitment. The GSO’s sensory-friendly concerts offer a welcoming environment for individuals with sensory sensitivities and developmental differences, ensuring that live orchestral music is open to all families.
In 2023, the GSO partnered with Make-A-Wish Georgia to host a “Day with Disney” concert that fulfilled the wish of JB McWhorter, a then 19-year-old with a nervous system disorder who dreamed of conducting an orchestra. The wish was coordinated by my wife, Mallory Stensland, a Senior Wish Coordinator with Make-A-Wish Georgia. Watching JB conduct from his wheelchair sparked visible joy throughout the hall. In that moment, the music became a shared experience of celebration and possibility, reminding us that when a community gathers around something meaningful, it grows stronger.
As we mark 75 years, this spring’s Jazz & Juleps at the Gardens at Brumby Hall continues that legacy, blending live jazz, youth performances and fellowship. Proceeds support education, sensory-friendly programming and broader community access.
The anniversary season will culminate in a celebratory performance uniting orchestra, chorus and youth ensembles, reflecting generations learning from one another and building something larger than themselves.
For my mother, Susan Stensland, former executive director and now advisory board member, this milestone carries deep meaning.
“The GSO has grown tremendously in breadth, quality, impact and outreach over the past 75 years. What has remained constant is the extraordinary dedication of our volunteers and patrons. Their belief in the mission of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra has ensured that live music continues to enrich our community and to reach future generations,” she said.
Three generations of our family have been connected to this organization, but we are not alone. Many families, musicians and supporters can trace their ties back decades. That continuity says something important. It shows that the relationships formed here endure. I am honored to serve this community through the GSO and to help carry that work forward for the next generation.
Seventy-five years ago, a small group of musicians came together to create something meaningful. What they built was not only an orchestra, but a foundation for developing leaders, nurturing young talent and strengthening civic bonds.
The Georgia Symphony Orchestra continues to show that when a community invests in the arts, it invests in its own future.
Your next opportunity to experience community…and fun!…with the Georgia Symphony is Jazz & Juleps, our Spring Fundraiser on April 18. Learn more at georgiasymphony.org/jazzandjuleps
