Photo Credit: Athens Symphony

Albert Ligotti, the founder of the Athens Symphony and the group's conductor from its inception in 1978 until 2012, died Saturday, according to an Athens Banner-Herald article. Ligotti was 88.

In the ABH article, Susan Dinwiddie, the symphony's current conductor, remarks on Ligotti's influence in Athens and around the globe: "There’s so many more [people] out there who knew him and are musicians because of him."

Ligotti, a New York native who moved to Athens in the late '60s to teach in the UGA school of music, played trumpet in the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Pops and other renowned orchestras.

The Athens Symphony opens its 38th season this week. The orchestra, which plays four times each year, will host its fall concert at the Classic Center on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. Entry is free but requires tickets, which may be picked up at the Classic Center box office starting Monday, Nov. 2.