Marin Symphony Association

In celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge's 75th anniversary, the MArin Symphony is commissioning composer Rob Kapilow to write a new work in collaboration with local communities. The work, scored for orchestra, chorus, and environmental sounds, captures the framing question posed by the composer, "What does the bridge sound like to you?" For Marin Symphony, this project is a significant venture into its new community engagement strategy

Marin Symphony Association presents a series of six concerts at the Marin Veterans Memorial Hall. It also offers a number of education programs for youth, including a 70-member Youth Orchestra that performs free concerts five times each year. In 2012, the organization reached 14,000 people through its performance and educational activities. A tie off grant would help the organization implement its plans to modify its programs to reach a broader audience and increase its revenues.

Founded in 1951, the Marin Symphony Association (MSA) presents a series of six pairs of concerts under the baton of Maestro Alisdair Neale at the 1,911 seat Marin Veterans Memorial Hall, a free five-concert series by its 70-member Youth Orchestra, and also presents concerts and music classes in Marin public schools. In total, the MSA serves more than 15,000 people annually through these performance and educational activities. Challenged by a declining subscriber base and the decline in institutional funding for arts organizations, the MSA’s executive leadership is keenly aware of the need to engage a broader section of Marin residents in the organization’s programming and educational offerings. With ongoing support the company will expand community engagement activities and develop partnerships with arts and non-arts institutions in Marin County to build greater support for the company and enhance its financial position.