The Harrison Orchestra Program is a part of the Cobb County School District’s Fine Arts program. It is nestled in the beautiful Georgia pines of Kennesaw, Georgia. Harrison High School currently houses over 2,100 students in grades 9-12 and is consistently rated among the best schools in the county, state and national level. The Harrison Orchestra has performed domestically and internationally and is a recipient of numerous awards and invitations. The orchestra has been invited to perform for the Georgia Music Educators Association Convention in 1998, 2006, and 2025. In 2007, the orchestra was invited to perform at the Orchestra of America National Concert Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana and perform by the Roswell Street Baptist Church, which was aired on channel ATL 57. In 2008, the Harrison Orchestra performed at the American String Teacher’s Association (ASTA) national conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the 2009, the orchestra was invited to perform at the Governor’s Mansion as well as the American Cancer Society Building for Earth Day. The orchestra was also invited and accepted to perform in the National Band and Orchestra Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York in the spring of 2011. The orchestra traveled to an International Festival in London, England where their performance earned an award in the spring of 2013. In 2014 the orchestra competed and won their division at The Festivals of Music in Chicago, Illinois. The orchestra was invited and performed at the Kennesaw State University Orchestra Invitational in 2021 and 2022. The orchestra was selected and invited to perform at the Music for All National Concert Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana for 2025.
The program consists of three orchestras – Concert Orchestra, Classic Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra. Furthermore, the program maintains a chamber music program. Students in the Harrison Orchestra program are consistent members in the District 12 Honor Orchestra, Georgia All-State Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Georgia’s Governor’s Honors Program. Additionally, through the generous support of the Harrison Orchestra Boosters, our students have the opportunity to work with a faculty of outstanding professional musicians on a regular basis.
In Cobb County, students begin orchestra in the sixth grade. Most students attending Harrison High School come from Durham Middle School (Susan Goudreau, Director), Lost Mountain Middle School (Catherine Bitinas, Director and Logan Lysaght, Assistant Director), or McClure Middle School (Kimberly Alfano, Director.)