A L P H A R E T T A

S Y M P H O N Y

O R C H E S T R A

About

Avalon

Spring 2016

Cello

Violin

Guitarists

Rehearsal

Brooke Street Park

Woodwinds

Cellos

AlphaYSO Brass

Side-by-Side

Youth Concerto Competition March 2020

Recording Fall 2020

Virtual & In Person Rehearsal

Takosha Swan

Avalon

Spring 2016

Cello

Violin

Guitarists

Rehearsal

Brooke Street Park

Woodwinds

Cellos

AlphaYSO Brass

Side-by-Side

Youth Concerto Competition March 2020

Recording Fall 2020

Virtual & In Person Rehearsal

Takosha Swan

HISTORY

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). The AlphaSO organization consists of an Adult Orchestra (AlphaSO), Youth Orchestra (AlphaYSO), and a Chamber Orchestra. We also offer Chamber Outreach Ensemble Concerts in schools and senior homes to those who cannot attend regular performances.

The Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra (AlphaSO) 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 has joined many orchestras in reimagining our programming due to the ongoing pandemic. This has included following CDC guidelines for gathering where we required string players to wear masks, set our chairs 6 ft apart to social distance, and offered virtual rehearsal options. Instead of performing concerts for a live audience, our season will consist of recordings, live streams, and park concerts. Our Youth Symphony has continued to meet together virtually where they have participated in chamber and full orchestra projects.

In the fall of 2020, the AlphaSO worked on our first professional recording project. Through this we were able to safely meet and keep the numbers limited without a live audience. We also offered virtual rehearsals for those who could not attend in person. We were honored to record the first ever live symphonic version of the 'Veterans' Anthem' written and performed by, Takosha Swan, for the state challenge to prevent suicide among veterans, service members, and their families.

Dr. Grant Gilman, Conductor & Artistic Director AlphaSO

Dr. Grant Gilman, Conductor & Artistic Director AlphaSO

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.

Dr. S. Eric Hawk, Founder & Conductor AlphaSO, AlphaYSO Conductor

Dr. S. Eric Hawk, Founder & Conductor AlphaSO, AlphaYSO Conductor

In 2014 Dr. S. Eric Hawk founded the Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra alongside his wife, pianist, Dr. Dawn Dalangin Hawk. It has since grown from a small ensemble of about 15 people to a thriving, multi-faceted orchestra organization with an adult symphony, youth symphony, and chamber music projects. Dr. Hawk and his wife also own and teach at the Hawk Music Academy in Cumming, GA.

Dr. Hawk, originally a viola player, received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Georgia in Athens. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant he 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. 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. Dr. Hawk has also worked as the interim Conductor and Artistic Director of the Agnes Scott College Community Orchestra in Decatur. 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.

Kelly Meholic, Executive Director, Principal Flute AlphaSO

Kelly Meholic, Executive Director, Principal Flute AlphaSO

Kelly Meholic grew up in Sarasota, Florida, known for its vibrant arts scene, where she began taking flute lessons at the age of twelve with Betsy Hudson-Traba, principal of the Sarasota Orchestra. During high school, she spent her summers at the internationally acclaimed Interlochen Arts Camp, in Interlochen, Michigan. She then attended Florida State University, earning her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance with a minor in Italian. While there, she studied flute with Eva Amsler and played in ensembles under the direction of Dr. Patrick Dunnigan, Dr. David Plack, Dr. Richard Clary, and Dr. Alexander Jimenez. She then earned her Master of Arts in Flute Performance, studying under Mario Ancillotti, Stefano Parrino, and Giovanni Crola, at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana, in beautiful Lugano, Switzerland.

Mrs. Meholic has played with the Lugano Chamber Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, Sarasota Ballet Orchestra, Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Northeast Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, and Gwinnett Symphony. Since 2010, she has assisted the Southeast High School Band Program in Bradenton, Florida, as a woodwind tech and currently teaches flute lessons online and in her home studio, located in Acworth, Georgia. In 2015, Mrs. Meholic became the Principal Flute in the Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra (AlphaSO). A year later, she joined the AlphaSO Board and has served as Personnel Manager and President. She was recently elected the first Executive Director of the AlphaSO.

The AlphaSO Enriches People's Lives Through Music.

Our Mission

To create engaging educational experiences and inspiring orchestral performances that

connect and grow the Alpharetta arts community through the universal language of music.

Our Vision

In 2030, the AlphaSO will be known as North Atlanta's cultural epicenter for those who are passionate about quality orchestral music.

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