Your gift Supports excellence in artistry

Each carefully prepared season features time-honored classics, a variety of less familiar works by the great masters, plus a bouquet of accessible new works by modern composers including Joann Tower and Wang Jie during the 2019-2020 season. A²SO concerts frequently feature world-class guest soloists including opening this season with Emanuel Ax in Hill Auditorium. Our Symphony is most privileged to be part of a community already enriched with musical talent including Concertmaster Aaron Berofsky. We are proud to play concerts in all venues – from area farmers markets to school classrooms, and from libraries to day care centers and senior centers. The orchestra was also featured on the nationally syndicated radio program Pipedreams in November 2004, performing Once Upon a Castle, a concerto for theater organ and orchestra by internationally acclaimed composer Michael Daugherty commissioned for the A²SO’s and The Michigan Theater’s 75th anniversaries.

The Annual Fund provides critical operating support to present our season of concerts and education and community engagement activities. Donors know that ticket prices cover less than half the cost of putting on a concert. We know that without support from these individuals, foundations, companies, and government our season would not be possible. 

Donor Levels 

Ovation Society $30,000+
Encore Society $20,000+
Bravo Society $10,000+
Maestro’s Circle $5,000+
Concertmaster’s Circle $2,500+
Symphony Guild $1,000+
Concerto Guild $500+
Sonata Guild $250+
Serenade Guild $100+
Overture Member $50+

Your investment puts your Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra into our area schools, libraries, daycare, and senior centers.

The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra’s audience has come to expect and demand the highest-quality music offered by talented musicians, aptly led by Music Director Arie Lipsky. Through the Musician Chair Sponsorship Program, contributors endorse the quality of A²SO musicians.

Approximately 1/3 of the A²SO’s $1.3M budget pays musician’s salaries and benefits. In part, these dollars come through our dedicated chair sponsors and chair endowments. You too can help the A²SO attract and retain the best players, ensuring the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra’s continued artistic growth and regional stature.

All sponsorships include the opportunity to designate the name of your sponsored chair.

The 2019-2020 season marks the 20th season of Arie Lipsky’s tenure as Music Director. Under his leadership, the A²SO has become one of America’s leading regional orchestras, subscriptions have tripled and continued to increase, the quality of the orchestra has been profoundly elevated, and more young people in schools are served than before.

The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra has advanced to the highest level in its 91-year history. Now is the time to invest in the A²SO mission of delivering the highest-quality performances of the greatest music ever written to an ever-growing audience.

Your donation will generate long-term benefits, making this a financially-sound investment that will sustain our community’s greatest musical asset. Donors to this fund will permanently and significantly provide a larger and predictable source of funding for continued musical leadership and ensure our financial stability to plan for future growth. This the legacy of the Podium Promise campaign: your promise to future generations that the A²SO will continue to reach new heights in artistic excellence for years to come.

Here is a special, personal and musical way to celebrate an anniversary, birthday, christening or other noteworthy occasions. Sponsor the music or artist this coming season and your tribute will appear on the concert page of our program book.

“The music for tonight’s performance of (your chosen piece) is sponsored by (name of donors) in celebration of their (event)”

Celebrate a birthday. Honor a loved one. Welcome that new baby. Toast a deed well done. Recognize that special mentor in your life. Respect the loss of a loved one. This is a tremendous way to pay tribute to those people you love, to note a landmark event in your life, or to connect people who love music with your Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. Your A²SO is honored to be included in your circle of family and friends.

When you make a tribute gift, we will notify the person in whose name the gift was made or their family, unless you wish to remain anonymous.  The amount of your contribution will be kept confidential to the recipient.

The tribute will be listed in each of the A²SO’s main stage and family program booklets for the season.

Simply contact your A²SO with the name of the honoree, the amount you wish to designate in their name or memory, and your method of payment. We do the rest.

As a loyal A²SO supporter, we want to make sure you are aware of a tax-efficient way to continue your support of our organization. Individuals may give their required minimum distributions from their IRA directly to a qualifying charity and avoid paying income taxes on that distribution.  This is commonly referred to as an IRA charitable rollover. 

Here are the highlights of an IRA charitable rollover:

• You must be age 70½ or older at the time of the gift.
• You may transfer any amount of your required minimum distribution, up to $100,000, directly from your IRA. This opportunity applies only to IRAs and not to other types of retirement plans (e.g., 401k, 403b, etc.).
• You must transfer the funds outright and directly to a qualified charity from your IRA. The A²SO is a qualified charity. This is an easy process by which your gift comes directly from your IRA to the A²

Frequently Asked Questions for Charitable Rollover to the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra

How has the A²SO touched your life? Most of you share a stronger than passing interest in supporting your A²SO. I invite you to join your friends and neighbors in establishing a planned gift to your A²SO. A planned gift allows you to make a significant impact.

Benefits Of Planned Giving:

• Immediate income tax deduction
• Reduction of income, estate and capital gains taxes
• Increased financial security for you or your heirs while providing meaningful support to the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra
• Income for life paid to you and/or another beneficiary, such as your spouse or another family member
• Ability to provide for people or causes that are important to you
• Receive recognition for yourself or honor a loved one through a naming opportunity

The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra has assembled an advisory team of trust officers, attorneys and financial planners who are volunteering to the A²SO their professional help to work with you and your financial and legal advisors to assist you in making a meaningful planned gift to support your Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra’s music and education programs.

Types of Planned Giving

Corporate support from the leaders in our community is critically important to the economic health of the A²SO. This support sustains our artistic product and ensures the quality and coverage in our schools, senior and day care centers.

We salute the outstanding support of the following businesses who have made a contribution of $1,000 or more to their Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. These businesses sponsor the exciting performances you hear, as well as the innovative education programs we provide. Their partnership with the A²SO enables us to serve over 60 schools in southeastern Michigan with exciting teaching materials which prepare 6,000 school-age youngsters for specially designed young people’s concerts. We reach over 30,000 youngsters every year with important music education programs. These businesses also provide much-needed general operating support. Many thanks for their investment in our community.

FOUNDATION GIVING

We would like to thank our generous foundation sponsors for their support:

• Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation
• Ann And Gordon Getty Foundation
• Arts Alliance
• Buhr Foundation
• Chelsea Community Foundation
• Comerica Charitable Foundation
• Mardi Gras Fund
• Martin Family Foundation
• Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs
• Music Performance Trust Fund
• National Endowment for the Arts
• Ray & Eleanor Cross Foundation
• Rotary Club of Ann Arbor
• Toyota
• Worthington Family Foundation