9 essential Atlanta arts events this weekend
Each week, ArtsATL curates a selection of the most exciting arts and culture events happening in Atlanta this weekend, highlighting nine must-see experiences.
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Thursday
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Missa solemnis
Nathalie Stutzmann and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra continue their Beethoven marathon with the composer’s Missa solemnis. This massive work has been described as “almost too big for the concert hall, too dramatic for the church and notoriously difficult for the singers.” Hear it at 8 p.m. on May 8 and May 10 and 3 p.m. on May 11. There will be a preconcert talk at 6:30 p.m. on May 10.
Best known as the co-founder of the Atlanta band Guadalcanal Diary, Murray Attaway is back with a new solo album, Tense Music Plays, and accompanying shows. Attaway will celebrate the album’s May 9 release date with a full-band live show the night before at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur at 7 p.m. on May 8.
Friday
This Toronto-born band blends jazz with hip-hop and has inspired a wide array of genre tags — including nu jazz and alt jazz — though Stereogum has simply referred to the Canadian trio as “genre-fluid.” The band brings its Mid Spiral tour to the Tabernacle at 8 p.m. on May 9.
The Alliance Theatre has garnered a reputation for premiering works that make their way to Broadway. Such may be the case again with Millions, a musical written by Bob Martin — with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel and direction by Bartlett Sher — running May 9 through June 15. Guettel and Sher previously collaborated in 2005 on The Light in the Piazza and in 2018 on Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. This is the second musical by Martin to premiere at the Alliance, following 2016’s The Prom.
Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre: Spring!
Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre’s ambitious new project, inspired by Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, has been eight years in the making. Spring! will be performed at 7:30 p.m. May 9 through May 11 and May 16 through May 18 on the stage in Art Farm at Serenbe’s Wildflower Meadow, 10690 Hutcheson Ferry Road, Chattahoochee Hills.
Atlanta Ballet closes its 2024-25 season May 9 through May 11 with Liam Scarlett’s Catch, set to music by Philip Glass; Alexander Ekman’s Tuplet; and Hypnagogia, a world premiere by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon).
Phuong Nguyen: She is an Object of Beauty
She is an Object of Beauty, a solo exhibition of new mixed media works by Toronto-based artist Nguyen, opens May 9 at Johnson Lowe Gallery with a reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nguyen’s work examines how the racialized, feminine body is aestheticized, archived and abstracted — both within Western art history and her own experience as a Vietnamese diasporic artist. The show, the artist’s first at the gallery, continues through June 28. Also opening at the gallery the same night is To Harden and Heal, works by Jodi Hays, an Arkansas-born, Nashville-based artist whose multidisciplinary practice mines painting, poetry, reclaimed materials and rural crafts.
Saturday
M2R TrailFest is a public arts festival that marks the debut of art installations in downtown Marietta along portions of the Mountain to River Trail and in public parks. You’ll see large scale murals, sculpture, Catlanta art drops and more, along with dance performances, music, a kids’ craft area and interactive art from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. May. 10.
2025 marks the fourth year of NoWordsATL, a festival showcasing instrumental music performed by Atlanta artists representing a variety of genres. While previous fests have been multi-day affairs spread across multiple venues, NoWordsATL4 is a one-day event that begins at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at The Garden Club at Wild Heaven West End.
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More things to do this weekend and beyond
GSU’s School of Film, Media and Theatre presents the Georgia State University Student Film Festival on May 9 at the Rialto Center for the Arts. The screening is curated by the school’s faculty, and the winners are selected by a jury of local industry professionals … Based on the novel by Stephen King, Misery is a psychological drama by William Goldman and will be performed in the black box at 7 Stages May 9 through May 11 … Wilco, once accurately described by Rolling Stone as “one of America’s most consistently interesting bands,” plays Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park at 7:30 p.m. May 10, with special guest Waxahatchee … The Brooke Street Park Concert Series in Alpharetta brings a songwriters-in-the-round style setup to the East Lawn directly behind Alpharetta City Hall. Jesse Ruben and Raquel Cole are the featured artists for the May 10 show, which begins at 7:30 p.m. … Sweet Auburn Springfest celebrates community, history and heritage with two days of fellowship and music in the heart of the Sweet Auburn district on May 10 and May 11 … Fine art and crafts and live music will fill one of Atlanta’s largest parks for the 17th annual Chastain Park Arts Festival on May 10 and May 11 … The Dunwoody Art Festival happens May 10 and May 11 along Dunwoody Village Parkway, with parking available at Dunwoody City Hall … The Emory Chamber Music Society concludes its 32nd season with the annual Cherry Emerson Memorial Alumni Concert with a one-hour program of Dvorak, Torelli and Dohnanyi at 1:30 p.m. May 11 in Emerson Concert Hall at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts … Rapper Post Malone’s tour stops off at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium May 11 with special guests Jelly Roll and Sierra Ferrell … Celebrate mom on Mother’s Day with a gospel concert headlined by Grammy-winning musician and producer Fred Hammond. James Fortune, Charles Jenkins, Ricky Dillard and Zacardi Cortez will also perform, and the show is hosted by comedian Jay Lamont! Celebrate the mothers who made us on a night you’re not going to want to miss.
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