In a recent meeting of the Marietta City Council, annual tourism grants were awarded to local arts and culture organizations, including the Georgia Symphony Orchestra. We are sincerely grateful to the City of Marietta for its continued investment in the cultural life of our community and for recognizing the role the GSO plays in enriching the city’s identity.
While we were honored to be included in this year’s funding allocations, the amount awarded fell significantly short of our request. Our requested amount reflected the expanded scope of programming planned for our milestone 75th anniversary season.
We are sharing the Marietta Daily Journal’s coverage of the proceedings with deep appreciation for Councilwoman Cheryl Richardson’s public support and in the spirit of transparency, inviting our patrons and supporters to stay informed and engaged as we continue our mission of bringing music, joy, and connection to Marietta and beyond.
With permission from the publication, we share this link to the full article
Excerpts from the article:
By Jack Lindner [email protected]
Jun 26, 2025
Marietta City Council approved $1.39 million in grants to local arts, culture and tourism organizations Wednesday during its committee meetings.
The council’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Committee, made up of Andre Sims, Johnny Walker and Grif Chalfant, recommended grants of varying amounts to 18 organizations.
The city annually awards grants to boost the arts and culture scene in the city.
After submitting their recommendations, council members held a special-called meeting where they voted 5-1 to approve the committee’s recommendations, with Councilwoman Cheryl Richardson opposed.
During the committee’s breakdown of grant amounts, Richardson voiced concern regarding the $24,000 recommended award to the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, compared to their requested $95,000.
Richardson said she was “slightly shocked” to see how low the committee’s proposal was for the symphony.
“The symphony does a lot for the city of Marietta, they’re also going into their 75th year of being here in Marietta,” Richardson said.
Last year, the orchestra — which is based in Marietta — received a $21,000 grant from the city.
Orchestra Executive Director Suzanne Tucker said the organization has never asked for this much before, but since this year marks their 75th anniversary, this year is “a big one.”
According to Tucker, the requested funding would allow the group to have an expanded season of performances, strengthen marketing and launch new concert series.
“…for three quarters of a century the symphony has been part of the fabric of this community,” Tucker said. “None of that matters if no one hears about it. We know that our biggest challenge as an organization … is not what we’re doing, it’s how many people know what we’re doing. It’s visibility.”
Richardson compared the symphony’s request to The Strand Theatre, which received an additional $25,000 in funding last month from the city to help with their 90th anniversary celebration in September.
“The Strand is great because they work with other tourism groups … but the symphony does the same thing,” Richardson said. “These are art communities coming together.”
Despite Richardson’s opposition, the council proceeded with the recommended $24,000 to the orchestra.
City Manager Bill Bruton said it is possible for the orchestra, like The Strand, to come back to the city asking for more funds in the future using outstanding balances from these taxes.
Further on that point, Mayor Steve Tumlin assured each organization that the city is required by law to invest this money back into the community.
“We have to spend that money, we’re not going … to do nothing with it,” Tumlin said.
