Waterbury Symphony Orchestra

Thank you so much for considering the Waterbury Symphony in your Giving Plan!

 

Creating music since 1938, the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra’s core belief continues to be that music, music education and shared cultural experiences are essential for humanity.  Over one-half of our resources, staff and budget-wise, goes directly to our education programs, providing innovative offerings for toddlers to teens while continuing to present outstanding concerts that uphold the enduring value of music that has been revered for centuries.  We are also proud to provide our professional musicians with opportunities to craft a meaningful living through elite live performance opportunities and for our patrons an array of music programming and educational opportunities through the work we do. 

 

The three primary strands of the WSO include our MasterWorks Classical Concerts including our annual Cinema & Symphony Concert, a full calendar of prodigious satellite performances featuring innovative concerts and smaller ensembles, and finally our celebrated educational programming for toddlers to teens,  mostly targeted to underserved children and families in the greater Waterbury area. These include captivating 'instrument petting zoos', middle and high school mentorship programs, professional development for music teachers taught by our WSO musicians, and WSO's beloved after-school Program, Bravo Waterbury! 

 

This has been a pivotal time for the WSO!  

We’ve embraced a varied mix of artistic programming including Classical Music, Jazz, Film Music, Rock, Pops, and attracted new audiences while welcoming our traditional patrons. This past year we continued to diversify our programming with Candlelight Concerts: The Music of Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, and Queen; Broadway Scores! featuring multi-Emmy Award winning producer and conductor Andrew Wilk with eight Broadway Stars; and performed with acclaimed contemporary artists like Beck and Andrew Bird. We are proud to have almost doubled both our Annual Fund and audience reach.  

Yet, as with all professional orchestras nationwide, ticket revenue covers only 30 to 40% of the cost of producing these concerts.  Our annual giving outreach, through programs like Give Local, is what sustains our work.  

On the educational side, Bravo Waterbury! has provided after-school music education and social development through music for underserved children and families in Waterbury for over 14 years! We are proud of this legacy, using the power of music to inspire and empower young people. 

We are very proud that this year, with the generous support of individuals, foundations, and sponsors, we completed Year One of a transformational three-year plan for our education programs.  We are proud to, for the first time ever, have performed over 60 sessions of our Creating Musical Readers initiative to public elementary schools throughout Waterbury!

Our Bravo Waterbury! after-school program continues at two sites, serving 80 students at our original site at Children’s Community School and Brass City Charter School in Waterbury. While it costs $500 per student to run this program for each year, families pay only $25 due to generous supporters and funders. 

Our focus over this three year period is to provide the key exposure and experiences with the goal being to bring  a pan-Waterbury after-school program to all students who wish to participate.  We need your help to sustain this growth and fuel our work with these children. 

By investing in the WSO, you help sustain a thriving arts scene, promote quality music education, and make a lasting impact on individuals and families alike.

We hope we can continue to count you as part of our “WSO Family”—our “ensemble,” if you will. Your support during Give Local allows us to continue to work hard and creatively to deliver unparalleled, inspiring programming and education for our incredible community.

With sincere thanks,

Doug

Doug Donato

Executive Director

Waterbury Symphony Orchestra

Cell: (203) 841-9266

www.waterburysymphony.org

Who We Are

The Waterbury Symphony Orchestra (WSO) builds connections across the region with exploratory concerts, events, and educational programs. The WSO maintains a firm commitment to produce programs that are of value to its patrons, participants and community partners. This commitment is rooted in the Symphony’s core belief that music education and shared cultural experiences are essential to creating community.

Founded in 1938, the Waterbury Symphony has assembled over 100 of the most talented musicians across New England to perform throughout the Tri-State region. The 2019-2020 season celebrates Maestro Leif Bjaland’s 25th Anniversary as Music Director & Conductor with the WSO.

The Symphony has been the Orchestra-in-Residence at Naugatuck Valley Community College since 1992...