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Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.

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Home » Orchestra News » Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Receives over $7 Million in Gifts, Endowment


Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Receives over $7 Million in Gifts, Endowment

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The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has secured $6 million in operating gifts as well as a $1.25 million endowment gift in the past month to ensure that it can move forward with the transformative, multi-year planning efforts currently underway. Funds will provide immediate cash flow and balance sheet relief as well as position the orchestra to embark on a plan that will reinvigorate its programs and establish new levels of engagement with its audiences, the community, and the state of Maryland.

These gifts, including a $2 million leadership gift, will enable the BSO to turn the corner towards sustainability, according to a BSO press release.

“This is a watershed moment that will galvanize all of the BSO stakeholders,” said BSO Players Committee Chair Brian Prechtl of Local 40-543 (Baltimore, MD). “The musicians are incredibly excited for the bright future that lies before us. We invite the many supporters who have surrounded us to join in this visionary work that will preserve the BSO for generations to come.”

This past September, the BSO established a Vision Committee, chaired by BSO Board Chairman Barry Rosen, made up of musicians, board members, endowment trustees, artistic leadership, volunteers, and staff. In November, former Senator Ed Kasemeyer, chairman of the State Workgroup on the BSO, invited Michael Kaiser, the leading national consultant on turning around cultural organizations, to speak to the workgroup. The BSO subsequently engaged Kaiser to help develop its multi-year plan.

“I’m thrilled about this significant progress,” said BSO Music Director Marin Alsop, a member of Local 802 (New York City). “The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a genuine treasure of our community, and this vital support assures that we will continue creating the highest level of music-making and educational programs together.”







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