Cobb Orchestra Undergoes Name Change

In an effort to reflect its expanding presence throughout the state, the Cobb Symphony Orchestra has officially renamed itself the Georgia Symphony Orchestra.

The 85-person group held its final concert on Saturday under the Cobb name on Saturday.   

“In its premier season, the Georgia Symphony Orchestra will continue to push the limits of what is expected from a regional orchestra,” a news release from the orchestra says.

The orchestra is attempting to expand the number of concerts outside Cobb County, and an agreement is in place to establish a residency at Reinhardt University’s Falany Performing Arts Center in North Georgia, the release says.

Along with classics, the orchestra plays new pieces and collaborates with other musicians. In recent years, the group has begun to play big-band jazz and added a full chorus. It also launched the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the largest of its kind in the Southeast, the release says.

“Within the last six years, the organization has taken major leaps forward,” Music Director Michael Alexander says in the release. “Given this growth, we are excited to continue to expand our programs as the Georgia Symphony Orchestra.”

The orchestra traces its beginnings back to 1951 in the Marietta home of Arthur F. Moor.

Known then as the Marietta Music Club, it would grow from only a handful of members to become the Marietta Concert Orchestra, then the Marietta Symphony, and eventually, the Cobb Symphony Orchestra.

Its present home is the Murray Arts Center in Kennesaw.