In 2000, the ASO established the Creative Partnership, a groundbreaking collaborative leadership model that, for nearly 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.

ASO recordings have garnered 26 Grammy® Awards to date, including its first win for Best Opera Recording for Ainadamar in 2007. Combined, Mr. Spano and Mr. Runnicles have recorded 16 albums (including four ASO commissions), and released 11 albums to date, which have won eight Grammy® Awards. In 2007, the Orchestra garnered its sixth top national award—second under the Creative Partnership—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 Creative Partnership.

Through the Creative Partnership of Robert Spano and Donald Runnicles, the Atlanta Symphony is a 21st century American orchestra which embraces its essential role as performer, presenter, commissioning agent, educator, and community partner.