Funds will support the GSO’s youth music education program
The Georgia Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to announce it has received a $500,000 endowment gift and a $10,000 grant from the Bobbie Bailey Foundation, Inc., in support of 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. “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.”
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.
The GSO’s youth orchestra program began in 2006, originally to serve musically gifted elementary through high-school age students in Cobb County. It has grown to become one of the top-10 largest youth music education programs in the country and the largest in the Southeast. Today, the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestras program consists of three full orchestras, two string orchestras, jazz and percussion ensembles and several chamber groups, each designed to meet the needs of students at varying levels of experience. In the 2019-2020 school year, the program’s membership roster included students from 12 metro counties and 143 schools.
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.
For more information, visit georgiayouthsymphony.org.
