Last week, Tuscaloosa Rotarians were treated to the “sounds of the season” with a visit from the Stillman Choir. This week the holiday music tradition continues. The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra will visit the club.

The performance will be conducted by Adam Flatt, recently welcomed to Tuscaloosa after a long career in Colorado and Oregon. Flatt earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in music from the University of California at Berkeley, and his master’s degree in conducting from the Indiana University School of Music. He studied music for two years in Austria and Germany, and studied at the Aspen Music Festival.

The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra has been a pillar of our local cultural scene for over thirty years.  Formed in 1979 by Dr. Michael Gattozzi and Margaret McCain, it was originally known as the Tuscaloosa Area Community Orchestra (and, yes, referred to as “TACO”).

In 1984, under the direction of Board president Madeleine Hill, TACO became TSO: The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, and soon found a home in the new Moody Music Building on the Alabama campus. The Tuscaloosa Symphony Guild was also founded in 1984 by Elizabeth Hamner. TSO Musicians are comprised of faculty members and extraordinary students from UA, from the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and professional musicians from across the region.