Ensembles of ASO players entertained at several functions at the State Department and in the White House.
The first big national triumph came when Jimmy Carter, who had often attended ASO concerts while he was governor of Georgia, invited the Symphony and Chorus to Washington for the festivities surrounding his inauguration as President in January 1977. During his first years he concentrated on building playing skills and repertoire, and when he felt the ASO and Chorus were ready he made the first steps toward national exposure.
Robert Shaw came to Atlanta partly to bring the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to broader recognition nationally and internationally. Atlanta Symphony emerged to national prominence in the 1970s and 1980s.