The impossible... is only something that hasn't been done yet.

Tonight, we’re on the cusp of something great... Something that will make history.

Tonight we take a giant next step in our quest to bring a new performance center to Atlanta, to Georgia, and to the world.

This evening is not just about a building design. It's not about the momentum behind our capital campaign, or our new cornerstone partners.

It's more than that.

We're here to celebrate — and recommit ourselves — to a vision of what is possible… For our city. For our state. For our region. Most importantly, for our citizens.

I have to ask: How many of you — as you were leaving home or the office earlier tonight — said to your kids or your co-workers, "See you later, I have to go out and stand on the brink of history."

Right. No one.

Yet that’s exactly where we are.

I like the view.

But I'm also a realist. This is a huge undertaking.

Some people will tell us that we may be premature in our celebration; that maybe we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves.

They'll say the odds are stacked against us; that we might not reach our destination.

They'll say these things... and they’ll be wrong.

They underestimate the spirit of Atlanta and the heart of Georgia.

But that will change — starting tonight.

As you'll see and hear, we've set ourselves on a bright and clear path to bring this center to life.

And we'll do it in unprecedented fashion. Beginning with the elegance and grace embodied in Santiago Calatrava's bold, world-class design.

I’m confident we'll succeed in making this vision a reality.

Because in teamwork, all things are possible.

At the Falcons, we like to say that the best player in the locker room is our team. That team brought us to heights no one could have imagined at the start of the 2004 season.

As chairman of the Symphony Center project, I have the good fortune to work with an equally committed and talented lineup.

• People like Allison Vulgamore and Robert Spano.
• The staffs at the Woodruff Arts Center and the ASO.
• Our early benefactors — and our new "cornerstone" partners who are infusing the capital we need to bring the dream to life.

We’re joined in our task by three special guests who are with us here tonight:

• Governor Sonny Perdue, Mayor Shirley Franklin, and Fulton County Chair Karen Handel — all avid supporters of the arts, and steadfast partners as we move this project forward.

Would you please join me in a round of applause for all of our team and everyone who has worked so hard to bring us to this special night?

Teamwork.

It's the power of all of us, coming together, believing in the value of what we’re doing. And finding a way to get the job done.

That’s the spirit of Atlanta and the heart of Georgia.

Throughout my life, I’ve found that the journey is always as important as the destination.

Whether at Home Depot or the Falcons — it's never been about counting the number of stores we opened or division championships and conference championships and Super Bowl rings (although I really would like to have one).

It’s how you get there — the journey.

Our journey toward a new symphony home may be long. It will surely test our resolve. But I’m convinced we have the vision and commitment to see it through.

It reminds me of trips I took as a boy to see the Young People’s Concerts at Carnegie Hall with my mother.

In those days, my mother and I had to travel from Queens to Manhattan. That meant getting on one bus, then another, then transferring to a train, and finally walking the last leg of the trip.

The journey seemed long. I wasn't sure it would ever end.

There were times when I came dangerously close to saying those seven words that are every parent's nightmare:

"When are we going to get there!?"

Ultimately, of course, we did get there. And when we did, it was incredible — an experience that remains clear in my mind today.

I can remember walking toward the hall, and feeling my senses come alive. The lights seemed brighter. The colors more vivid. The excitement was everywhere.

That excitement is here tonight.

Tonight, I feel the force of possibility more than the weight of obstacles.

I look at Santiago Calatrava’s inspiring work, and I can feel us getting closer to that hall.

Ladies and gentlemen, our train is leaving the station — and it’s picking up speed.

The day is coming when we will bask in the warmth and community of this place.

We'll learn within its walls. Be soothed and excited by its sounds.

Here, thousands and thousands of hearts will be lifted.

We’ll feel something. We’ll connect to each other in our humanity, and our love of the arts.

Santiago Calatrava has inspired us. He has reinvigorated our dream.

To nurture art, he has created art...

Art that will stand for the ages, connecting people culturally. A place not just for the elite, but for everyone.

It’s not steel, concrete and glass we celebrate tonight. It’s the spirit, the sense of connection this place is creating already — right now — years before it’s even built.

I believe in the purpose, the essence — the nobility of this place, and of this dream.

I believe in the people who will make it a reality. All those who have contributed already, and those who will join us.

This is not my dream. It’s our dream — all of us here and many others.

Make no mistake. We are on our way.

The lights are getting brighter. The colors more vivid.

The impossible... is only something that hasn't been done yet.