Photo: Music Director Robert Spano and Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles
In 2000, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra established an Artistic Partnership, a groundbreaking collaborative leadership model that, for a decade, has thrived artistically and institutionally while shaping the Orchestra’s artistic direction, sparking collaborations with today’s leading composers, orchestras, artists, and recording companies, leading the Orchestra to unprecedented achievement.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and its recordings have garnered 27 Grammy® Awards to date, including its first win for Best Opera Recording for Ainadamar in 2007. Combined, Mr. Spano and Mr. Runnicles have released 20 albums to date, which have won nine Grammy® Awards. In 2007, the Orchestra garnered its sixth top national award—second under the artistic partnership of Mr. Spano and Mr. Runnicles —from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) for its commitment to contemporary music. Also in 2007, the Atlanta Symphony earned a $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (NY) to support key artistic initiatives resulting from the innovative partnership.
Through the Artistic Partnership of Robert Spano and Donald Runnicles, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra consistently affirms its position as one of America’s leading Orchestras by performing great music, presenting great artists, educating, and engaging.