About The AlphaSO

The Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra exists to bring together musicians and audiences of all ages around the goal of making and enjoying music together and building the musical arts community through performances and education to all. We strive to serve the artistic needs of our community and the greater North Atlanta area. We perform chamber and orchestral literature, regularly collaborating with local artists and arts groups.

The Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra (AlphaSO) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) orchestra organization based in Alpharetta, Georgia. The AlphaSO was co-founded in 2014 by Dr. S. Eric Hawk, and his wife Dr. Dawn Dalangin Hawk (Pianist). The AlphaSO organization consists of an Adult Orchestra (AlphaSO), Youth Orchestra (AlphaYouthSO), and a Chamber Orchestra (AlphaCO). We also offer Chamber Outreach Ensemble Concerts in schools and senior homes to those who cannot attend regular performances.

Dr. Grant Gilman, Music Director

Dr. Grant Gilman is an orchestral conductor known for his expertise in American orchestral music from the 19th-21st centuries. Currently, Dr. Gilman is Conductor and Artistic Director of the Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the East Cobb Chamber Orchestra. Previously, he held the positions of Associate Music Director of the Round Rock Symphony, Music Director with the Harbor Opera Company, Resident Conductor with the Astoria Symphony, Assistant Conductor with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and Guest Conductor with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. With a lifelong commitment to developing young talent, He has been Director of Orchestral Studies at the College of William and Mary and Christopher Newport University, Music Director with the University of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Director for the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio Summer String Camp. Dr. Gilman has conducted orchestral and opera performances in Cincinnati, Ohio; Newport News and Norfolk, Virginia; Round Rock and San Antonio, Texas; New York, New York; Baltimore, Maryland; Toms River and Newark, New Jersey; and Greensboro, North Carolina. Most notably, he led a performance of The Nutcracker with the Moscow Ballet in Baltimore’s famed Lyric Opera House. Dr. Gilman earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees at the Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore. His undergraduate studies in violin performance were with Pamela Frank, Martin Beaver, and Misha Rosenker, and his graduate studies in orchestral conducting were with Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar. He also earned his Doctorate of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), while studying with Mark Gibson.