The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra kicked off its 75th season this September, and GPB was there to document the momentous occasion for a rousing New Year’s Eve celebration extraordinaire. 

An ASO75 Concert, presented by GPB and the ASO, airs Tuesday, December 31 at 9:30 p.m. and also features insights from Maestro Robert Spano.

"We are happy to be working with GPB Media to bring the music of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to people beyond Symphony Hall,” said Tammy Hawk, VP of Marketing & Communications of the ASO. “It’s the perfect way to ring in 2020 and join in the ASO’s 75th Anniversary Celebration.”

The ASO’s desire to demystify classical music and the symphony-going experience is demonstrated through its work in the community, which includes educational and community concerts. The orchestra's full schedule includes over 150 shows for a combined audience of over a quarter million people. In the clip below, Spano talks about the way he responds to people who feel unable to understand or enjoy classical music.

WYSIWYG: EMBEDDED VIDEO

Spano, the ASO’s Music Director since 2001, appears at points to explain the evening’s significance and guide viewers through the pieces chosen for the performance. Highlights include the Prelude to Act I of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto for Orchestra. In the clip below, ASO bass trombonist Brian Hecht shares his favorite moment from Higdon’s Concerto.

WYSIWYG: EMBEDDED VIDEO

An ASO75 Concert airs at 9:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, following the New York Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve Concert celebrating the orchestral music of Stephen Sondheim at 8:00 p.m. You can watch both on GPB’s statewide television network and streaming at gpb.org/live.