Baltimore Symphony Receives $5m Gift Towards Family and Educational Programming

In particular, the funding will support the BSO's OrchKids program, establishing a choral program and offering more private lessons to high-performing students

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) received a generous donation of $5 million from the Sherman Family Foundation. The gift is intended to help the BSO introduce more children and young people to symphonic music, and will support the orchestra's various outreach initiatives to this end.

The funding has been split into two parts. The first $3m will be immediately allocated to the BSO's existing projects, especially the OrchKids program. This program brings music to more than 2,000 young people, offering both in-school and after-school programming at nine different locations in Baltimore City, as well as at a summer home at Goucher College.

The funding will allow the program to expand significantly. The BSO will add a fifth day to the weekly after-school program (scaling up to six days in the coming years), establish a new choral program, and formalize a performance track (including private lessons, new side-by-side opportunities, application/tuition assistance, and advanced instruments) for its students.

The remaining $2m will go to the Baltimore Symphony Endowment, with $1 million being spent on the OrchKids Endowment Fund, and the other $1 million endowing the BSO's Sherman Family Education Chair position.

"Education has always occupied a special place in the BSO’s mission, exemplified by programs like OrchKids," said Mark Hanson, President and CEO of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

"We are deeply grateful to Mrs. Sherman and The Sherman Family Foundation for doubling down on their support of OrchKids and for making an incredible investment in robust intergenerational programs, dramatically expanding our ability to provide meaningful, barrier-free musical experiences and create a sense of belonging for the whole family."

"Immersive, hands-on programs like OrchKids, or attending a symphony concert with a parent or grandparent — these musical experiences open a child’s view of the world and their place in it, providing opportunities for artistic expression and personal growth," said Betsy Sherman.

"It is exciting to help the BSO scale more programs and pathways for youth and families to discover joyful experiences of live, symphonic music and forge lifelong connections to the arts."