The Atlanta Pops Orchestra was established in 1945 and was run by Albert Coleman. Albert Coleman, a French immigrant, began working at WSB Radio in Atlanta, Georgia in 1944. At the time- he saw a need to gather what he considered to be the best musicians to form the Atlanta Pops Orchestra. The orchestra was to play for radio dates, public concerts,and free performances to benefit the arts, the area youth, and aspiring musicians. The Atlanta Pops became known throughout the southeast as a result of concerts free to local audiences in Atlanta. Albert was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame for his contributions to both the orchestra and the multitude of young artists whose careers were assisted by him an for the diversity and longevity of his involvement in the arts in Georgia.
Albert Coleman retired in 1998 and between 1998 and 2002 the orchestra performed under guest conductors for mainly private events. In 2002 the management was assumed by Altieri & Associates Entertainment, Inc. an Atlanta management, booking and musical contracting company. John Head was the principal conductor from 2002 to 2010 at which time Mr. Head retired and Dr. Jason D. Altieri was officially hired as the Conductor and Music Director. Jason Altieri is also the Associated Conductor of the Reno Philharmonic in Nevada as well as guest conducting nationally and internationally.
Under Dr. Altieri, the Pops has broadened its original musical goals to include corporate events as well as school clinics and concerts and entire community concert series. The orchestra is also planning to perform an even wider variety of programs that will include church concerts. It hires its own members to perform in Broadway shows visiting Atlanta and in other tours and celebrity shows appearing in this area such as Mannheim Steamroller, Celtic Woman, Johnny Mathis and many others over the recent past.
Albert Coleman died in December 2007, but the Atlanta Pops symphony continues to feature a broad range of guest soloists and emerging talent.
Famous quotes containing the words pops, symphony and/or orchestra:
“I’ll tell you one thing. If a little green man pops out at me I’m shooting first and asking questions later.”
—Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1922–1978)
“The truth is, as every one knows, that the great artists of the world are never Puritans, and seldom even ordinarily respectable. No virtuous man—that is, virtuous in the Y.M.C.A. sense—has ever painted a picture worth looking at, or written a symphony worth hearing, or a book worth reading, and it is highly improbable that the thing has ever been done by a virtuous woman.”
—H.L. (Henry Lewis)
““Pop” Wyman ruled here with a firm but gentle hand; no drunken man was ever served at the bar; no married man was allowed to play at the tables; across the face of the large clock was written “Please Don’t Swear,” and over the orchestra appeared the gentle admonition, “Don’t Shoot the Pianist—He’s Doing His Damndest.””
—Administration in the State of Colo, U.S. public relief program. Colorado: A Guide to the Highest State (The WPA Guide to Colorado)