Meet Our Donors
We thank all our planned-gift donors for their generous support. Here are some of their stories.
Marion and Bill Atkins
A Gift to Atlanta
Marion and Bill have designated the ASO as beneficiary of a charitable trust. This commitment was inspired by their shared appreciation for quality music and their vision for Atlanta.
Bill thoughtfully explains that he believes “for a city to have any real value it has to have an infrastructure of art. Art adds value to individuals and families, but it also adds economic value to the city. In trying to build Atlanta and attract good people, we need a vibrant city. Art can help that happen.”
Marion adds, “Great music just makes Atlanta a better place. Many people would like to support the ASO and they can extend their influence by making a bequest or other planned gift. It is really quite a special commitment and it is easy to do. ”
Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel
A Legacy of Music
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and being a part of the Atlanta Symphony Associates have given me great memories and life-long friendships. It was important to me to give something back, so that others can experience and appreciate learning about and listening to great music. That is why I planned a gift in my will for the ASO.
The arts are so important, especially classical music, and giving back is essential. Everyone has something to give, especially with planned giving. Not only does it feel great to do, but most planned gifts also have tax benefits.
I am proud to make music a part of my legacy to my grandchildren and the community and honored to be a part of the ASA family.
Florence Kopleff
A Devotion to Music
Florence Kopleff is among America’s most distinguished contralto soloists.
She came to Atlanta in the late sixties to be a voice professor at Georgia
State University. Her friend and mentor, Robert Shaw, had recently accepted
the directorship of the ASO.
In Atlanta, Miss Kopleff quickly became a part of the ASO family. For the
love of music and her devotion to Robert Shaw, Miss Kopleff dedicated her time
and expertise to the ASO Choruses, giving innumerable group voice classes and
preparing transliterations of foreign-language texts. Her commitment to the
Choruses inspired her to become a member of the Henry Sopkin Circle, and she
has made a designation in her will to establish the Florence Kopleff ASO Choral
Activities Endowment Fund—a powerful reflection of a life devoted to
music.
Ham Smith
Friend of the Family
“The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has been a part of my family for as
long as I can remember, and as such it was an easy decision to include the
Orchestra in my will.
My mother, Helen Smith, came to Atlanta in the late nineteen-twenties. She
was a graduate of The Juilliard School, got a master’s in voice with
a minor in piano, and was recruited by the Juilliard Foundation and key community
leaders to help build a musical infrastructure in Atlanta. Once here, her attention
largely fell towards a volunteer student orchestra. Under her thoughtful guidance
and with the help of many, that fledgling ensemble gradually became a professional
orchestra—the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The rest, as they say, is history.”
Jessica Langlois
Special Gifts & Planned Giving Officer
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
1280 Peachtree Street NE
Suite 4074
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 733-4277 | Fax: (404) 733-5294
jessica.langlois@woodruffcenter.org
