Marietta-based Georgia Symphony Orchestra received a $500,000 endowment and a $10,000 grant from the Bobbie Bailey Foundation, Inc. for its youth music education program.

“We are honored to receive these extraordinary gifts from the Bailey Foundation to help fund our Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestras program,” said GSO Executive Director Taylor Rambo in the press release announcing the endowment and grant. “Our organization is committed to lowering barriers to accessible, high-quality music education experiences for talented students across metro Atlanta and our region. These gifts will allow us to take this commitment to a whole new level.”

According to the press release:

The Bailey Foundation was founded in 1993 by businesswoman and philanthropist Bobbie Bailey, who had a deep passion for education, healthcare, music and the arts, and helping those less fortunate. Since then, the Foundation has partnered with not-for-profit organizations, schools and hospitals in the southeastern United States to fulfill its mission of promoting music and dance, enabling access to cutting-edge healthcare technology and empowering at-risk women.

About the Georgia Symphony Orchestra Youth Program

According to the GSO website, the Georgia Symphony Youth Orchestra was founded in 2006 and has grown into the largest program of its type in the southeast.

The program includes five orchestras, a jazz ensemble, a percussion ensemble, instrumental chamber ensembles, and a youth chorus, all selected through competitive statewide auditions.

According to the website:

The Mission of GYSO is to inspire young people to discover their full potential through creativity and performance, and to build and develop the discipline and spirit to accomplish their musical goals. Further, GYSO endeavors to provide artistic opportunities for all people and to enhance the quality of cultural life in our communities.

The press release announcing the endowment states:

The GYSO program also maintains strong partnerships with Kennesaw State University’s Dr. Bobbie Bailey School of Music and Marietta City Schools. Additionally, a scholarship fund provides opportunities for students with financial need.

About the Georgia Symphony Orchestra

The Georgia Symphony Orchestra began in 1951 with the formation of the Marietta Music Club.

According to the GSO website:

The music room of Arthur F. Moor’s home on 383 Church Street in Marietta would establish the foundations for what would evolve over the next sixty-plus years. Talented local musicians would come together to create and share wonderful music with audiences. From 1955 until 1989, Betty Shipman Bennett conducted the orchestra through this long period of development. The music club grew to become the Marietta Community Symphony.

The orchestra was later renamed the Cobb Symphony as more professional musicians were added to the staff, and in 2011 it became the Georgia Symphony Orchestra.

The GSO states as its mission:

The mission of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra is to enrich our community through accessible, high quality musical and educational experiences that instill a lifelong appreciation for the arts.