About the APO

Thursday, 03 December 2009 17:53 Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 July 2010 15:19 Written by Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra

The Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra is a diverse community whose volunteer members are accepting of individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered. A typical season includes at least four performances, and each concert generally features a major orchestral work and a soloist. The APO also supports smaller chamber ensembles.

The primary objectives of the APO are:
•  Education. To strengthen the playing abilities of its members and to increase the musical knowledge of its audiences.
•  Entertainment. To provide high-quality arts entertainment for residents of the Atlanta area and Georgia.
•  Fellowship. To provide a forum for exchange of musical and other information among its members and supporters.
•  Affirmation. To provide a positive statement to the public at large concerning the talents and capabilities within the GLBT community.
•  Growth. To participate in the growth of GLBT-identified symphony orchestras in other cities, both domestically and internationally.

Regular rehearsals are held Tuesday nights at North Decatur Presbyterian Church off Scott Blvd. in Decatur from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Additional rehearsals are scheduled during the week preceeding concerts.

The APO was founded in December 2004 when four instrumentalists and a choral director met with the idea of forming an all-inclusive GLBT orchestra in metro Atlanta, inspired by a smiliar ensemble in Minneapolis. The first rehearsal was held in January, and the inaugural concert was conducted at St. Mark United Methodist Church in November 2005 under the baton of Mitch Weisiger.

The Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra is a 501(c)3 organization registered under the legal name GLBTS Symphony Orchestra of Atlanta.

Meet Our Conductor

Saturday, 25 July 2009 13:45 Last Updated on Monday, 26 April 2010 13:40 Written by Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra

Mirna Ogrizovic - Ciric, was born in Croatia, but grew up in Belgrade, Serbia, where she received her violin performance degree from the School of Music, Belgrade University of Arts. She also received a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from Georgia State University in Atlanta, and earned her doctorate degree in conducting from the University of Georgia.

Mirna’s conducting experience includes the University Philharmonia of UGA, as well as the UGA Symphony Orchestra. For her work at UGA she was recognized with the Director’s Excellence Award. She also conducted the ARCO chamber orchestra in a Carnegie Hall performance, and recorded a CD with the same orchestra and violinist Levon Ambartsumian as soloist in music by renowned Russian composer Mikhail Bronner.

Before she moved to the United States (in 2001), she was Associate Concertmaster of the Symphonic Orchestra of the Serbian Radio Television in Belgrade, the Associate Artistic Director of the Ensemble of the Studio for Early Music, and a soloist of the Ensemble Renaissance.

Mirna has received numerous awards in national and international competitions, including the silver medal at the international violin competition in Stresa, Italy. She recorded several CDs with Atlanta based, period instrument ensemble, New Trinity Baroque.

Mirna is a member of the Balkan Quartet (in residence at Georgia Perimeter College), which recently performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She teaches violin, viola, and chamber music at Berry College in Rome, GA, and conducts the Oak Hill Symphony Orchestra.