December 14, 2020
Thank you for considering a gift as part of your year-end contributions! Your support provides stability and ensures that we remain committed to providing exceptional musical experiences across our community.
We wanted to tell you about some important CARES Act provisions that are scheduled to expire at year's end. These provisions make it easier for you to make a gift to the CSO!
- A temporary suspension of required minimum distributions (RMD) for the 2020 tax year. If you are 70 ½ or older, you can still make a gift from your IRA.
- An expanded charitable giving incentive that allows taxpayers who take the standard deduction to make up to $300 in charitable cash contributions to qualified charities this year.
- For those who itemize your deductions, the law allows for cash contributions to be deducted up to 100% of your adjusted gross income for the 2020 calendar year.
There are many ways to support your CSO. Please visit our
Annual Giving page to explore those options. You can make an online gift by visiting our
Give Today page.
In addition, with the stock market at record highs, gifts of Securities or Mutual Funds can be a convenient way to make a contribution. For more information and transfer instructions,
please click here.
The Charlotte Symphony is sustained by the support of our donors. We are so grateful for your generosity, which touches and changes so many lives....
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Charlotte Symphony
Charlotte Symphony
Posted in Support. Tagged as Support the Symphony.
September 11, 2020
 | Think you can beat Beethoven in a race?
Lace up your running shoes for the Symphony Guild of Charlotte's first-ever virtual 5K and test your stamina! This socially-distanced run / walk celebrates Beethoven in his 250th birthday year and can be completed any time between November 6-8.
When you sign-up you'll receive a playlist featuring all four movements of Beethoven's energetic and tuneful 7th Symphony. |
Finish the 5K before the 38-minute symphony ends. Participants will receive a custom t-shirt, finisher's medal, bib, goodie bag, and a special discount for select future CSO concerts.
All levels of participation are welcome. You can complete your run inside on your treadmill, outside in your neighborhood, or anywhere else inspiration takes you. Track your time and compete with others in our
Strava Club, complete the race on your own time, or "sleep in" and just register for the t-shirt. The choice is yours!
Proceeds from this event are used to support the Symphony Guild of Charlotte in its mission to support your Charlotte Symphony.
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Charlotte Symphony
Charlotte Symphony
Posted in Support. Tagged as Beethoven.
November 1, 2019
| Taylor Maness is currently a senior at UNCC, and in the last year and a half she has interned at five Charlotte arts organizations, including your Charlotte Symphony. We were blown away by her ambition and dedication, so we asked her why she is voting FOR the quarter-cent sales tax referendum on Nov. 5. Find out below. |  |
The Priceless Cost of Arts & Culture
By, Taylor Maness
If you've stepped outside, turned on your TV, or listened to your radio these past few weeks, you've heard about the possible quarter cent sales tax referendum that would support the arts, parks, and education in Mecklenburg County.
With tensions rising and Election Day quickly approaching, it's becoming increasingly more difficult to remember why we proposed this sales tax in the first place. Our arts organizations have been benefitting our community and the individuals within it, and now it's time that we give back to these organizations.
I understand that increasing a tax is no small ask, but, ultimately, I feel it's well worth it for reasons more profound that we're neglecting to see. These organizations strengthen our economy, educate us, and increase our overall quality of life.
Arts and cultural organizations have contributed significantly to economic growth in Mecklenburg County. Due to our vast array of cultural institutions, many tourists flock to Charlotte,
generating $359 million in annual economic activity and employing over 11,180 people in our community. These organizations also bridge gaps between cultural and political divide. We live in a world polarized by personal belief, and Charlotte is no different. One of my favorite things about art is that it is an outlet for individuals to express themselves in a way that is both comprehensive and peaceful.
On top of everything else, the arts improve our quality of life. It's easy to become consumed by work, school, and our other seemly endless string of responsibilities. We need to be excited, challenged, and fascinated. Some of my fondest memories of being in Charlotte revolve around me strolling through an art exhibit, going to a Broadway musical, or experiencing a live symphony performance. These are the occasions that have made my time here special. It saddens me to think that the opportunity to experience these magical moments may be taken away.
Art affects our lives in more ways than we know. We are fortunate to have these organizations that fill out lives with culture and innovation, and we should all want them to continue to thrive. This is why I encourage everyone to vote in favor of this tax referendum. We are voting on so much more than just simple sales tax; we are voting on the creative future of our community.
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Charlotte Symphony
Charlotte Symphony
Posted in Support. Tagged as Internship.
April 19, 2016
The Charlotte Symphony has soared to new heights in the last few years. It's because of our donors that the orchestra has reached a new level of artistic excellence and has operated within a balanced budget for the last two years.
And there's never been a better time to be a Symphony donor in light of this exciting news: Four generous friends of the Symphony have come forward with a $100,000 challenge: |  |
For every dollar contributed between now and May 16, they will match gifts received dollar-for-dollar!
The Charlotte Symphony board, musicians and staff would like to thank our current and future donors for their commitment to the Charlotte Symphony.
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Charlotte Symphony
Charlotte Symphony
Posted in Support. Tagged as Fundraiser, Support the Symphony.
May 7, 2014
Only three days remain to have your donation to the Symphony doubled in the Spring Challenge. If you give by Friday, May 9, Wells Fargo will match your contribution dollar-for-dollar. That helps your gift go further in supporting the Symphony programs you love.
Click here, or call 704.714.5108 to make your donation today.
As of this morning we are at 83% of our goal. Your gift will help us receive 100% of the match from Wells Fargo! |
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We sat down with our Executive Director, Robert Stickler, to discuss the challenge and why your support now is more meaningful than ever.
The 2013-14 season closes in this week. What were your highlights?
I thought the orchestra did an extraordinary job with [Holst's] The Planets in our opening concert. The brass was particularly strong. The Verdi Requiem last week was a strong collaboration between the Oratorio Singers, CSO, and soloists all brought together masterfully by Maestro Christopher Warren-Green. We at the CSO are particularly proud that the number of subscribers this season was higher than last year, indicating that we are bringing the community the music they want to hear.
Looking ahead to next season, the CSO is celebrating the anniversaries of Strauss and Sibelius, alongside works by Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin. What are you most looking forward to hearing performed?
I love Sibelius in particular so that is what I am most excited about. The most interesting thing we are doing is bringing in Wu Man to play the pipa, a traditional Chinese instrument, in Jiping's Concerto for Pipa and Orchestra. That will be a concert with Mozart and Schubert, an example of where we try to mix the familiar with the less well known works to interest a wide audience.
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What do you think the Symphony contributes to Charlotte?
The CSO is the major purveyor of classic music, but we are also an important element in the cultural fabric of the community. We partner with other arts organizations to present innovative programs. Our musicians spend hundreds of hours in the schools working with students.
We provide two youth orchestras for those young people particularly interested in developing their musical skills. |
Our musicians provide private lessons, play in ensembles at events all over the region, and regularly play at hospitals and other facilities where people cannot come to concerts. I cannot imagine Charlotte without the CSO.
How would you describe our audience to an outsider?
We have a diverse audience through all of our programs. We cater to the classical music enthusiast through the Wells Fargo Private Bank Classics series. We entertain with the Pops. We introduce new audiences to classical music through our innovative KnightSounds series. And we introduce youngsters to the orchestra through our Lollipops series for families. So we have senior citizens all the way to young families. KnightSounds, by the way, makes a great date night with all of the activities around the concert.
Wells Fargo and the CSO issued this Spring Challenge because we want audiences to know that "a donation of any size can make a huge difference". What makes a $10 contribution as impactful as a $1,000 contribution?
We want to have as many members of the CSO family as possible. It makes a difference when we talk to organizations that are considering financial support. Even a $10 contributions is an expression of support, so we do appreciate that. And $10 contributions sometimes grow larger over the years if the donor continues to enjoy what we do.
Don't forget! We only have until midnight Friday, May 9 to meet the Spring Challenge from Wells Fargo. Click here, or call us at 704.714.5108 to give today!
Posted in Support. Tagged as Fundraiser, Support the Symphony.
