Music has always meant a great deal to me, as it does to many of us. I believe it is hardwired into us to some degree. That is how people who have never played an instrument may have a sense of rhythm or harmony. I played trumpet and baritone throughout my school years, but like many, I fell out of practice and stopped playing not long afterwards. Over the ensuing years, I did miss the inspiration from dozens of musicians collaborating to create. It was with that in mind that I volunteered with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra’s Patron Experience program for the 2024-2025 season.

The Alys Stephens Center on the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s campus is the home venue for the symphony, and it is a lovely facility. Throughout the season, the Masterworks program was performed there, along with additional works, often featuring notable guests from throughout the music community. The symphony celebrated 10 years under the direction of Carlos Izcaray during the season. Handel’s Messiah carried on as a popular tradition, and it was great to see the community come out to celebrate the season with the venue all decked out for the holidays. The symphony performed compositions by local composer Dr. Brian Nabors and, towards the end of the season, accompanied Alabama folk artists The Secret Sisters. As a volunteer, I had an incredible vantage point for so many inspirational performances.

ASO added events at The Carver Theater for the 2024-2025 season, and I was able to attend all of them. Carver is home to the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and features a more intimate auditorium that can still accommodate a mid-sized ensemble.

Concertmaster Daniel Szasz programmed an excellent series during the season at Brock Recital Hall on Samford University’s campus. This is another great facility for performance. From a volunteer perspective, it is open seating, and concerts are approximately an hour long, so it is a slightly different experience., You get to appreciate the individual musicality when there are only two or three musicians, which provides a nice contrast to concerts featuring the whole orchestra.

I was able to volunteer at one of the season’s educational events, also on Samford University’s campus. This helped me understand even more what a tremendous asset ASO is to our local arts community. World-class musicians can inspire students from our public schools. I was also able to volunteer for one of the season’s Tunes on Tap events, which offer free performances at various local brew pubs for audiences who may have never had the opportunity to hear the symphony.

The season began with a performance at the Botanical Gardens. It concluded with the traditional Memorial Day Weekend performances at Birmingham’s Railroad Park, which always draws a large crowd to the city. The SuperPops! performances at the BJCC are always fun for casual musical fans, giving them the opportunity to enjoy the symphony from the perspective of popular music and music from their favorite movies or musicals.

Those were the experiences of the music. As a volunteer, I had the opportunity to meet several like-minded music lovers and individuals who are passionate about contributing to something bigger than themselves. For some performances, I held the door as people walked in. For others, I scanned their tickets. Some people get dressed up, so I might take their photo with their cell phone. Or I might help them ﬁnd their seat. I may not be able to play music at the level of the orchestra members. Still, I hope I was able to play a small role in providing that experience to members of my community and making it an enjoyable one.

So that was my season volunteering with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. They offer diverse programming at different venues so that everyone can find something they might enjoy. I enjoyed the musicianship enough to become a subscriber for the next season myself. It was a tremendous blessing to me, exceeding any expectations I might have had at the beginning of the season. However, I also intend to continue volunteering so that others may have the same experience. I invite you to join me as a volunteer and patron!

-Billy Sanford, ASO Patron Experience Volunteer, 2024/2025 and 2025/2026