Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1523410
68 maconmagazine.com | June/July 2024 Already, 45% of MMSO subscribers have renewed for 2024-2025 – before programming has even been announced. What makes symphony sizzle here? A willingness to upend the traditional business model, a unique intergenerational mentorship between Robert McDuffie Center for Strings students and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra musicians, bold programming that's not afraid to pair local voices with acclaimed international artists or to mix genres in a single night, and a shi in audience expectations and norms that is meant to signal that all are welcome. It's sparked a fire. Marshall Talley, a young entrepreneur, Macon Black Culture board member, and Macon Magazine Five Under 40 Young Leader, "I'm so pleased to see that Macon loves classical music and loves The Grand. To see a nearly full house and to see such an innovative approach to enable symphonic performance in Macon is wonderful." exclaimed, "I'm addicted to symphony now," a er his first show. A sold-out crowd before a collaboration between the MMSO and Theatre Macon on selections from "The Color Purple" had lines waiting for the box office to open to claim waiting list seats. The roots of the word symphony are Greek for "together," "harmonious," and "sound." What makes the art form great is how dozens of musicians and diverse instruments blend for a richer sound. We've proved the same in our audience – when Central Georgians come together in a room to enjoy music, we can defy trends and come together in unexpected ways. Hear from some of our patrons yourself, with quotes from some MMSO superfans in an anonymous post-show survey. RIGHT MMSO patrons are multi- generational, with free tickets at the door offered for students of all ages. Photo by Leah Yetter for Mercer University. A symphonic arrangement of "The Color Purple" musical teamed up with Theatre Macon to reprise portions of their wildly popular 2022 production with the MMSO.