About

The Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra

The Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit 501(c)(3) community ensemble based in Alpharetta, Georgia. The AlphaSO was co-founded in 2014 by Dr. S. Eric Hawk (Director), and his wife Dr. Dawn Dalangin Hawk (Pianist).

Membership to the AlphaSO is open to instrumentalists with a high school level playing ability up to and including professional credential musicians. Anyone seeking to develop their musical skills in a fun and professional environment can join any time throughout the year by emailing us at and scheduling an audition. Auditions are also hosted each August, and information about the date(s) and times will be available on this website (see home page for information).

Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings from 7:00-9:00PM at the Crabapple First Baptist Church located at 12760 Birmingham Hwy, Milton, GA 30004. The rehearsal season begins in late August and continues through May of each year. The concert season includes 4 to 5 concert events.

Our goal is 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. The AlphaSO strives for new symphonic discoveries, unique programming, and an all-encompassing educational experience.

Dr. Eric Hawk, Conductor

Dr. Hawk received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Georgia in Athens. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant, Dr. Hawk has served as the Assistant Conductor of UGA’s premiere symphony orchestra, working with Professor Mark Cedel to expand the growth and artistry of the ensemble. Always open to exploration of new repertoire, he conducted the Georgia premiere of his own scholarly edition of Hans Rott’s Symphony No.1 in E major. Additionally, he collaborated with Dr. Skip Taylor, nurturing the development and maturity of UGA’s second orchestra for non-majors, the University Philharmonia.

In 2013, Dr. Hawk was hired as the interim Conductor and Artistic Director of the Agnes Scott College Community Orchestra in Decatur. The ensemble was comprised of young high school students through retired community members. Not having performed a complete symphony in years, the ASC community orchestra triumphed with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor.

His conducting career began under maestro Wes Kenney at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where he received his Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting. As the Assistant Conductor of the CSU Symphony, Dr. Hawk led the orchestra in their 2009 opera performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

Beyond the podium, Dr. Hawk has a lifelong passion for writing music. In addition to his DMA, he completed a music composition minor as a pupil of Dr. Leonard Ball and premiered his first symphony as a part of his final degree recital at UGA. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Composition at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, studying under both Dr. Stella Sung and Christopher Marshall. In 2012, Dr. Hawk served as the primary composition instructor of the youth composer’s summer camp, Music Notes, in Athens.

Being a violist, Dr. Hawk has solid experience working with the technical aspects of the string sections. He studied viola, taking lessons and performing in all major ensemble types throughout his undergraduate and master’s degrees. He continues to play chamber music with his colleagues in his spare time.

Dr. Hawk has always valued the importance of music to today’s youth. He has been involved with his first youth orchestra, the Metropolitan Area Youth Symphony in central Florida for the past thirteen years. He started as a section violist in high school, became the late Jonathan May’s assistant throughout college, and now serves as the resident guest artist. For the past three years, he has worked with the MAYS director, Michael Miller, conducting and coaching the summer camp orchestras and chamber music ensembles.

Dr. Hawk resides in Cumming with his wife, Dr. Dawn Dalangin Hawk, who holds a DMA in Piano Performance from UGA, and their three labradors Lilu, Wall-E, and Luna.