Organizations Filed Purposes:
OUR MISSION IS TO INSPIRE AND ENGAGE OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH EXCEPTIONAL MUSICAL PERFORMANCES AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. WE WILL EDUCATE, CHALLENGE, AND INSPIRE STUDENTS THROUGH MUSICAL EXPERIENCES. OUR VISION IS TO BE A WORLD-CLASS ORCHESTRA FOR A WORLD-CLASS CITY.OUR VALUES:EXCELLENCE SETS US APART - WE SET AND MAINTAIN THE HIGHEST STANDARDS FOR OUR PEOPLE, OUR PERFORMANCES AND OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. WE ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR PEOPLE. WE CONTINUALLY STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE IN ALL WE DO.ENGAGEMENT IS OUR NUMBER ONE COMMITMENT - WE WANT OUR MUSIC TO MAKE AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH OUR AUDIENCES. OUR AIM IS TO EVOKE APOSITIVE RESPONSE AT SOME LEVEL WHENEVER WE PERFORM.TRANSPARENCY DESCRIBES HOW WE COMMUNICATE - WE STRIVE TO HAVE OPEN,TRANSPARENT TWO-WAY COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN OUR MUSICIANS, STAFF, ANDBOARD OF DIRECTORS AS WELL AS WITH OUR DONORS AND PATRONS. WE STRIVETO LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER'S PERSPECTIVES AND RESPOND OPENLYON ALL ISSUES.
OUR VISION IS TO BE A WORLD-CLASS ORCHESTRA FOR A WORLD-CLASS CITY. THE MISSION OF THE CHARLESTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IS TO INSPIRE AND ENGAGE OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH EXCEPTIONAL MUSICAL PERFOMANCES AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. WE WILL EDUCATE, CHALLENGE, AND INSPIRE STUDENTS THROUGH MUSICAL EXPERIENCES.IN FISCAL YEAR 2020, THE CHARLESTON SYMPHONY CONTINUED TO BUILD ON ITS RECENT SUCCESSES BOTH ON AND OFF THE CONCERT STAGE. IT FULFILLED ITS MISSION BY ENGAGING AUDIENCES WITH THE HIGHEST QUALITY ARTISTIC PROGRAMMING AND PERFORMANCES AS WELL AS OFFERING SUBSTANTIAL EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE TRI-COUNTY AREA. ALL OF THIS WAS ACHIEVED WITH AN UNDERPINNING OF STRONG FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT HAVING COMPLETED NINE CONSECUTIVE SEASONS WITH OPERATING SURPLUSES PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC. THE CHARLESTON SYMPHONY CONTINUED TO BE A STRONG STEWARD OF INVESTMENT IN THE ORGANIZATION BY ALLOCATING 84% OF OVERALL EXPENDITURES INTO MISSION RELATED ACTIVITIES.
THE SYMPHONY HAS THREE MAIN SERIES OF PERFORMANCES: MASTERWORKS, POPS, AND CHAMBER MUSIC. THE MASTERWORK SERIES IS DEVOTED TO PERFORMANCES OF THE GREATEST ORCHESTRAL WORKS COMPOSED OVER THE PAST FOUR CENTURIES. POPS FEATURES THE ORCHESTRA IN A LESS FORMAL SETTING AND IS FOCUSED MORE ON LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY FRIENDLY PROGRAMMING. THE CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES FEATURES CSO CORE MUSICIANS IN MORE INTIMATE SETTINGS PERFORMING THE WORLD'S GREATEST CHAMBER MUSIC REPERTOIRE.BOTH THE MASTERWORKS AND THE POPS SERIES SAW AN OVERALL INCREASE IN ATTENDANCE AS THE SYMPHONY ROLLED OUT A MORE FLEXIBLE "PICK SIX" SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE WHICH ALLOWED PATRONS TO CURATE THEIR OWN SERIES BASED ON PERSONAL TASTES AND SCHEDULES.
THE SYMPHONY OFFERS FOUR CORE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON INSPIRING, CHALLENGING AND EDUCATING STUDENTS THROUGH MUSICAL EXPERIENCES; CHARLESTON SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA (CSYO), YOUNG PEOPLES CONCERT (YPC), MUSIC IN SCHOOL PERFORMANCES, AND OUR RESIDENCY PROGRAM AT THE ALLEGRO CHARTER SCHOOL OF MUSIC. OVER 128 MUSICIANS RANGING FROM IN AGES 3-12 FROM 36 SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE LOWCOUNTRY RECEIVED IN-DEPTH, HIGH-QUALITY MUSICAL INSTRUCTION THROUGH OUR CSYO ENSEMBLES WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR MENTORSHIP BY SYMPHONY MUSICIANS.IN ADDITION, 2,067 STUDENTS FROM 22 SCHOOLS PARTICIPATED IN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE'S CONCERT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CARNEGIE HALL'S LINK UP PROGRAM. THE SYMPHONY PERFORMED AT 63 SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE TRI-COUNTY REACHING OVER 13,400 STUDENTS, 33% OF SCHOOLS VISITED WERE TITLE I. THE SYMPHONY MUSICIANS REGULARLY VISIT THE ALLEGRO CHARTER SCHOOL OF MUSIC TO WORK ON INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUE AND ENSEMBLE PLAYING WITH A GROUP OF PERCUSSION STUDENTS. THE SYMPHONY ALSO HELD A 5-DAY INTENSIVE CONDUCTING WORKSHOP FOR YOUNG CONDUCTORS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD TO WORK WITH THE SYMPHONY AND LEARN FROM RENOWNED FACULTY AND SYMPHONY MUSIC DIRECTOR, KEN LAM. WHEN THE SYMPHONY MUSICIANS ARE NOT ON THE STAGE, THEY ARE PERFORMING THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING STORYTIME CONCERTS AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY, SALTWATER SOUNDS AT THE SC AQUARIUM, AND MORE. THE SYMPHONY HAS OPERATED UNDER A BUSINESS MODEL THAT HAS PRODUCED MODEST OPERATING SURPLUSES FOR NINE YEARS PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, AND IS PROUD TO FOSTER A COLLABORATIVE WORKING ENVIRONMENT AMONGST BOARD, STAFF, AND MUSICIANS. THE SYMPHONY BENEFITS FROM A BROAD BASE OF ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT FROM CHARLESTON AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. THE SYMPHONY DEPENDS ON PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT FOR FIFTY-NINE PERCENT OF ITS OPERATING BUDGET AND IS PARTICULARLY GRATEFUL FOR THIS SUPPORT.
Executives Listed on Filing
Total Salary includes financial earnings, benefits, and all related organization earnings listed on tax filing
| Name | Title | Hours Per Week | Total Salary |
|---|
| Kenneth King Kei Lam | MUSIC DIRECTOR | 40 | $126,735 |
| Michael A Smith | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 60 | $119,786 |
| Yuriy Bekker | CONCERTMASTER | 40 | $101,479 |
| Susan Sullivan | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| David Savard | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Jodi Rush | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Roy Owen | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Jon W Olson Sr | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Cynthia Mabry | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Elizabeth Rivers Lewine | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Dr Eddie Irions | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Natalie Ham | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Ann Hurd Fralix | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Wendi Huff | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Clyde Hiers | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Tracy Grooms | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Dr Bobby Baker | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Lyn Magee | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Lenna Macdonald | DIRECTOR | 1 | $0 |
| Jerry Hudson Evans | VICE PRESIDENT | 1 | $0 |
| Carol H Fishman | VICE PRESIDENT | 1 | $0 |
| Lee Higdon | VICE PRESIDENT | 1 | $0 |
| Michael Moody | TREASURER | 10 | $0 |
| Robert Siedell | PRESIDENT | 10 | $0 |
Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (
public 990 form dataset) from:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202101349349306685_public.xml