Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, Inc.

Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, Inc. General Information 855 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 2215 (617) 353-3348 Website www.bysoweb.org Organization Contact Martha Robinson MarthaR@bu.edu Year of Incorporation 1983 1

Statements & Search Criteria Mission Statement Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO) firmly believes in the power of a high-quality classical music education to change lives. At BYSO, our students receive a transformative music education one that is rooted in excellence and shapes their life path through the development of life-long skills such as self-confidence, team-work and leadership. BYSO believes that all young children should have the opportunity to experience exceptional music programming and the life-changing impact it can have. Our mission is to encourage musical excellence in a professional and supportive environment by providing the highest quality orchestral training and performance opportunities to qualified musicians, grades K-12, while making its programs accessible to under-served communities through financial assistance and outreach. Background Statement Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO) firmly believes that high-quality classical music experiences have the power to change lives. At BYSO, students receive a transformative music education through nationally-renowned orchestral and outreach programs. This education is rooted in excellence and shapes each student s individual path through the development of enduring social-emotional skills such as self-confidence, teamwork and leadership. BYSO s mission is to encourage musical excellence in a professional and supportive environment by providing the firstrate orchestra training and performance opportunities to qualified musicians, grades K-12. Also at the core of BYSO's mission is making exceptional classical music experiences and their lifechanging impact accessible to youth from all Boston communities. We strive to achieve this aim through community programming, a partnership with the Boston Public Schools, and providing access to high-quality, free and subsidized performances. BYSO was founded in 1958, serving 8 original students in a single orchestra. Today, BYSO serves more than 5 students (ages 4 to 18) per year, with a programmatic scope that includes three full symphonic orchestras, two string training orchestras, a preparatory wind ensemble, a chamber music program, and the Intensive Community Program (ICP), a nationally-recognized instrument training program that provides rigorous instruction to students from inner city Boston communities. BYSO students benefit from a master class series, superior coaching drawn from Boston s impressive array of professional performers, and give over 25 performances each year at worldrenowned venues. The Boston Youth Symphony, BYSO s premier orchestra, performs a semistaged opera every season with professional soloists and choruses a unique and enriching experience that few other youth orchestras in the world provide. Over the course of 6 years, BYSO has continuously elevated, enhanced, and adapted programming to meet the dynamic needs of our students and communities. As we enter our 6th Anniversary Season in 217/218, BYSO is committed to enhancing and expanding our impact among the communities we serve, offering challenging and potentially life-changing opportunities for artistic and personal growth to young musicians from Greater Boston and throughout New England. 2

Impact Statement At the outset of BYSO s 59th season, organizational objectives were to present an artistically ambitious and educationally enriching concert schedule, provide rigorous orchestral programming to over 5 K-12 musicians from all over New England, and to increase the impact of our nationally recognized Intensive Community Program designed to make the potentially life-changing impact of classical music more accessible to youth from underrepresented communities. On the whole, BYSO s 216/217 season was very successful, and overall BYSO students mastered technically difficult repertoire, demonstrated artistic and personal growth, and contributed greatly to BYSO s outreach efforts within the Greater Boston community. The outcomes toward these major goals during 216/217 were: 1. BYSO presented a total of 27 concerts at prominent venues in Greater Boston, as well as a series of free community concerts. 2. BYSO provided exceptional instrument training and support to a total of 83 students in the Intensive Community Program. 3. BYSO deepened our partnership with the Boston Public Schools. 4. BYSO successfully launched the quiet phase of a capital campaign to acquire the resources needed to ensure a new, permanent home for BYSO the Youth Music Center in Boston. The 217/218 season is a crucial time for the organization, as BYSO continues to raise the bar on program quality and impact while prudently allocating resources to ensure sustainability. The following organizational goals for the year are: 1. Continue to grow and enhance the artistic experience for all BYSO musicians. 2. Ensure BYSO is effectively engaging our target populations and students achieve mastery in a culturally inclusive environment. 3. Increase BYSO s visibility in the city of Boston. 4. Pursue fundraising and endowment growth to ensure long-term stability in light of future growth in new space. Needs Statement The launch of BYSO's capital campaign brings with it many immediate and long-term needs to ensure that we are strategically elevating the quality and impact of our program in an ambitious, yet sustainable manner. We will focus significant energies on building and sustaining the organization's infrastructure in preparation for the historic milestone step of creating the BYSO Youth Center for Music. Specifically, we will: 1. Grow and enhance the artistic experience for all BYSO musicians. 2. Present innovative and inspiring productions to cultivate young audiences through a deepened partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. 3. Enhance the Intensive Community Program (ICP) to meet the changing needs of our young musicians and communities. 4. Increase BYSO's visibility and strategically expand partnerships with the Boston Public Schools and other organizations in greater Boston. 5. Execute critical fundraising initiatives and program expansion planning to support the creation of the BYSO Youth Center for Music in Boston. 3

Board Chair Statement Each year at BYSO we watch our students grow into more than excellent musicians they become excellent people. In 216/217, we proudly welcomed nearly 5 young musicians into our orchestras, and our teachers, mentors and advocates made a deep investment in each one of them. We believe in the transformative power of classical music to positively impact a child s life because we witness it happen every day. We hear the incredible artistry of our young musicians in the music they play, we see them become more confident in their abilities and talents and we are inspired by their ingenuity and achievements. The accomplishments made at BYSO give our students the ability to realize excellence in all areas of their lives. We continue to boast an incredible streak of 1% of our graduates going on to college. We performed not one, but two operas to thousands of audience members this season. We expanded our Intensive Community Program (ICP) to the Boston Public Schools where an additional 7 students participated in string training every single week. We opened our doors to a record-breaking number of children who attended BYSO concerts for many, it was their first ever classical music concert. Each year brings more growth, more opportunity and more students ready to turn their potential into inspiring achievements. BYSO is able to provide a pathway, spark a passion, and facilitate excellence because of our loyal and dedicated supporters. As we look forward to the future, we are increasingly excited about the possibilities tomorrow brings. Service Categories Symphony Orchestras Arts Education Performing Arts Geographic Areas Served BYSO musicians come from more all 5 New England states, representing more than 12 communities from throughout the region. BYSO encourages students from inner-city communities in Boston to join the Intensive Community Program, and half of ICP students live in the Boston innercity neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roslindale and Hyde Park. Please review online profile for full list of selected areas served. 4

Programs Orchestra Training Description Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO) is one of the most comprehensive youth orchestras in the United States with a programmatic scope that includes three full symphonic orchestras, two young string-training orchestras, six chamber orchestras, a preparatory wind ensemble, a chamber music program, and a nationally recognized string-training program that provides rigorous instruction to students from underrepresented communities. Each year BYSO auditions over 9 students, 85% from public schools, from more than 12 communities in the New England area, and accepts approximately 5 young musicians. Budget 729543 Category Arts, Culture & Humanities, General/Other Music Instruction Population Served K-12 (5-19 years),, Program Short Term Success Program Long term Success This program will be deemed successful if BYSO is able to provide the highest quality musical instruction and performance opportunities to all orchestra members as well as provide financial support to all of those that require it to participate in the programs. BYSO s mission is to encourage musical excellence in a professional and supportive environment by providing the highestquality orchestra training and performance opportunities to qualified musicians, grades K-12, while making its programs accessible to underserved communities through financial assistance and outreach. Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success The BYSO has earned a place in Boston s cultural fabric as a leader in arts education by providing unprecedented quality arts programming to young people from throughout New England. By helping students to achieve mastery in the broad landscape of classical music (including chamber music, opera, etc.), the BYSO is directly contributing to the future of this field. These programs help shape a future of artists, rts patrons, arts appreciators and arts leaders and BYSO is proud that underrepresented populations are changing the demographic of this future through opportunities for all young people who wish to pursue them. 5

Concert Production Description BYSO s most advanced ensemble, the Boston Youth Symphony, will perform four full symphonic orchestra concerts, maintaining an extremely ambitious programming schedule. The 6 th season s four-concert series includes exciting repertoire: our talented and inspiring youth musicians will perform works by Stravinsky, Debussy, Wagner, and Mendelssohn, as well as a semi-staged version of a full length opera, Georges Bizet s Carmen. Budget 2972 In addition to the Boston Youth Symphony s four major concerts, BYSO s five orchestral ensembles and 1-15 chamber ensembles perform more than 16 concerts for approximately 1, audience members throughout the season. These concerts are held in some of Boston s finest venues. Since 29, BYSO has partnered with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the three-part Family Concert Series at Symphony Hall to engage a younger generation of classical music listeners. So far, the series has reached more than 45, audience members, including 25, children. Category Population Served Program Short Term Success Program Long term Success Arts, Culture & Humanities, General/Other Musical Performances K-12 (5-19 years), Families, The program will be deemed successful if all of the scheduled performances are successfully carried out. BYSO will offer its young members the finest performance opportunities available and continue to expand and diversify its audiences through strategic partnerships and outreach efforts. Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success BYSO has continued to expand its performance opportunities, adding an annual opera production and community outreach performances to its schedule. Additionally, BYSO has forged strategic partnerships with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), the United Way and other community and arts organizations to broaden our constituency base and reach new audiences. Last season, in collaboration with the BSO, we distributed more than 2,5 subsidized tickets to young families in the communities we serve. The goal of this dynamic and interactive series is to serve younger generations of classical music listeners by performing children-friendly concerts that entice, engage and educate young audience members. BYSO also distributes more than 2, free tickets each year to the community through partners such as the United Way and offers free outreach concerts directly in inner-city Boston neighborhoods. 6

Intensive Community Program Description In 1998, BYSO created the Intensive Community Program (ICP), a rigorous string instrument training program serving students from Boston s inner city. ICP accepts students (ages 6-8) who show exceptional interest in studying string instruments and provides them with financial assistance for weekly music lessons, ensemble classes and use of an instrument. Our objective is to bring fine musical training to students in underserved communities, enabling them to pass auditions for BYSO s four orchestras, with the goal of reaching the most advanced orchestra, the Boston Youth Symphony. Once admitted into a BYSO orchestra, ICP students receive support in the form of tuition subsidy, weekly lessons and use of an instrument. The program serves approximately 8-1 students each year. Budget 621932 Category Population Served Program Short Term Success Arts, Culture & Humanities, General/Other Music Instruction K-12 (5-19 years), Minorities, Minorities The 216/217 season of ICP will be considered successful if the following objectives are achieved: -Provide all 73 students with the highest-quality weekly lessons after school. The 53 most advanced students will receive private/semi-private lessons and the 2 younger students will have group lessons. -Provide all 73 ICP students with use of an instrument. -Administer two student evaluations during the year. -Produce seven community outreach concerts -By May 217, prepare ICP students for competitive auditions into BYSO's orchestras. Program Long term Success Over the long term, BYSO will measure the success of the program quantitatively by the number of students who graduate into BYSO s orchestras and eventually join the Boston Youth Symphony. 7

Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success ICP's success depends on measuring outcomes. Evaluation of the program happens in several different ways including reviewing artistic standards (students), setting annual quantifiable goals (program staff) and reviewing long-term programmatic goals (BYSO leadership and board). As part of the BYSO organization, ICP adheres to the same high artistic standards. The ICP Director is responsible for evaluating the artistic quality of the ICP ensemble. She holds standardized student evaluations twice per year to monitor the achievement of specific skills such as scales, bow technique, intonation and quality of sound. While students enter as beginners, they must show considerable dedication and improvement in order to be eligible to continue the program. After two to three years in ICP a student is expected to perform a successful audition into the youngest orchestra, YPSO. ICP's success is evidenced by the high numbers of participants successfully auditioning into BYSO orchestras. This season, a record 13 ICP students successfully auditioned into the premier Boston Youth Symphony (BYS), 7 into the Repertory Orchestra, 6 into the Junior Repertory Orchestra (JRO) 14 into the Young People s String Orchestra (YPSO) and 13 into the Petit Ensemble (PE). Since 21, the number of ICP students reaching the senior orchestra level has more than doubled. This directly demonstrates the success of the accelerated learning model. 8

Management CEO/Executive Director Executive Director Term Start Aug 1996 Email Ms. Catherine Weiskel cweiskel@bu.edu Experience Catherine Weiskel has been Executive Director of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras since 1996. She has led the organization towards exponential growth in terms of budget size, number of children served and infrastructure (expansion of administrative and artistic staff as well as board development). Ms. Weiskel received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Seton Hill College in Greensburg, PA and a Master of Arts in Musicology from the Villa Schifanoia Graduate School of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. Prior to her appointment at BYSO, Ms. Weiskel served as the Concert Manager for the Yale in Norfolk Series, the Assistant Manager of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and Executive Director of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. She has been a member of the Orchestra Management Fellowship Task Force for the League of American Orchestras and has been a panelist for the National Endowment of the Arts. For four years, she served as secretary and subsequently president of the League of American Orchestras. She is a former member of the League of American Orchestras Board of Directors. Senior Staff Ms. Martha Robinson Title Experience/Biography Director of Development Martha Robinson joined the BYSO team in 27 and has worked closely with board and staff leadership to grow the funding base for the organization. A former modern dancer, Martha has been working in the arts in Boston and Philadelphia for over a decade. While in Philadelphia, Martha served as the Director of Marketing and Development for Group Motion Dance Company while also earning her Masters of Arts in Arts Administration from Drexel University. With a focus on donor cultivation and motivating young people and families to support the arts, Martha has worked with many nonprofit organizations in the Philadelphia and New England areas. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Boston Dance Alliance. Martha's passion for the arts began at a very young age through exemplary youth arts programming--she is delighted to be supporting an organization that continues to do this inspiring work. 9

Ms. Erin Keegan Ianni Title Experience/Biography Director of Marketing and Public Relations Erin brings to the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras her extensive experience in both Marketing and Education.After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from University of Iowa, Erin went on to work for DraftWorldWide Advertising Agency in Chicago.She then travelled abroad for 3 years in Italy where she taught English in Rome and planned events, lectures, and courses at a local youth center while pursuing her studies in Italian Renaissance Art History. Erin's passion for the arts has led her to volunteer much of her time at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where she leads guided tours for visitors in the Feeling for Form and Access to Art programs. Erin is delighted to be working with the BYSO, where she is able to combine her passion for the arts and her marketing experience while supporting and encouraging this nationally recognized organization. Mr. Matthew Ritter Title General Manager Experience/Biography Staff Information Full Time Staff Part Time Staff Volunteers Contractors 13 26 45 45 Staff Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black Asian American/Pacific Islander Caucasian Hispanic/Latino Native American/American Indian Other 39 BYSO does not collect ethnicity information for staff Staff Demographics - Gender Male Female 2 19 1

Unspecified Formal Evaluations CEO Formal Evaluation CEO/Executive Formal Evaluation Frequency Senior Management Formal Evaluation Senior Management Formal Evaluation Frequency NonManagement Formal Evaluation Non Management Formal Evaluation Frequency Annually Annually Annually Plans & Policies Organization has a Fundraising Plan? Organization has a Strategic Plan? Years Strategic Plan Considers Under Development Date Strategic Plan Adopted 28 Does your organization have a Business Continuity of Operations Plan? Management Succession Plan? Organization Policy and Procedures Nondiscrimination Policy Whistleblower Policy Document Destruction Policy Directors and Officers Insurance Policy 5 No No Under Development Collaborations 1. Boston University 2.Noble Roxbury Community College 3.New and Greenough School 4.Boston England Music Camp 5.Dennis Symphony Orchestra 6.Boston C Haley Pilot School 7. Latin School Awards Awards Award/Recognition Organization Year Jacopo Peri Award to Federico Cortese National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Finalist New England Opera Club 211 President's Committee for the Arts 212 11

Affiliations Affiliation Year League of American Orchestras AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) 12

Board & Governance Board Chair Board Chair Mr. Joe Grimalidi Company Affiliation MullenLowe Term May 215 to May 218 Email byso@bu.edu Board Members Name Affiliation Status Ms. Lynne Allen Boston University College of Fine Arts Exofficio Mr. John Avallon Capgemini Voting Mr. David Barnard Retired Voting Mr. Jean-Marc Berteaux Wellington Voting Ms. Alison Bomberg Abrams Capital Voting Ms. Margaret Chen Cambridge Associates Voting Ms. Kimberly Ciccarelli John Hancock Financial Exofficio Mr. James Cooke Boston Symphony Orchestra Voting Mr. Geoff Cottrill Community Volunteer Voting Ms. Maryteresa Crealese KPMG LLP Voting Mr. Eran Egozy Harmonix Voting Mr. Anthony Fogg Boston Symphony Orchestra Voting Mr. Joe Grimaldi Mullen Voting Ms. Kimberly Y. Jones Athena Legal Strategies Group Voting Mr. George Keches UG2 Voting Ms. Shiela Kibbe Boston University College of Fine Arts Exofficio Mrs. Anna Kolchinsky Community Volunteer Voting Mr. Brian MacArthur Deloitte Consulting Voting Ms. Cynthia Markey Boston Municipal Court Voting Mr. Hussain Mooraj Accenture Life Sciences Voting Mrs. Laurette Ndukwe The Steppingstone Foundation Exofficio Mr. James Nuzzo The Colchester Group Voting Ms. Cecilia O'Keefe Mr. Jordan Stone Ms. Catherine Weiskel Mr. Andy West Eaton Vance Investment Company Voting Peregrine Group Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras McKinsey & Company Exofficio Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 2 13

Asian American/Pacific Islander 2 Caucasian 22 Hispanic/Latino Native American/American Indian Other Board Demographics - Gender Male Female Unspecified 14 12 Board Information Board Term Lengths Board Term Limits Number of Full Board Meetings Annually Board Meeting Attendance % Written Board Selection Criteria? Written Conflict of Interest Policy? Percentage Making Monetary Contributions Constituency Includes Client Representation 3 3 5 81% 1% Standing Committees Board Governance Development / Fund Development / Fund Raising / Grant Writing / Major Gifts Executive Finance Strategic Planning / Strategic Direction Project Oversight Additional Board Members and Affiliations Name Ms. Kimberly Ciccarelli Mr. William Gertler Ms. Narissa Gogos Mr. Erik Gottesman Ms. Laura Howenstine Mr. David Jones Affiliation John Hancock Student TripleLift Sapient Wellington Management NewtonWellesley Hospital 14

Ms. Katie Maher Ms. Marcia Mantell Ms. Alexandra Morgan-Welch Ms. Carol Nicholls Ms. Jin Sol Mr. Stephen Wagner Mr. Steven Wagner Mr. Philip Wolf Ms. Natalie Wright RA Capital Management Mantell Retirement Consulting, Inc. Credit Suisse State Street Global Services athenahealth Deloitte Deloitte Student Breckinridge Capital 15

Financials Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Start July 1, 217 Fiscal Year End June 3, 218 Projected Revenue $3,349,8. Projected Expenses $3,349,8. Endowment? Endowment Value $1616551. Spending Policy Income Only Credit Line? No Reserve Fund? Months Reserve Fund Covers Detailed Financials Revenue and Expenses Fiscal Year 216 215 214 Total Revenue $3,495,529 $2,753,57 $2,143,537 Total Expenses $2,732,293 $2,462,156 $2,346,121 Revenue Sources Fiscal Year 216 215 214 Foundation and Corporation -- -- -- Contributions Government Contributions $122, $21,5 $47,6 Federal -- -- -- State -- -- -- Local -- -- -- Unspecified $122, $21,5 $47,6 Individual Contributions $1,74,727 $1,212,91 $696,82 Indirect Public Support $ $ -- Earned Revenue $1,442,865 $1,299,111 $1,196,16 Investment Income, Net of Losses $39,653 $55,522 $55,662 Membership Dues $ $ -- Special Events $186,284 $164,473 $148,87 Revenue In-Kind -- -- -- Other $ $ -- 16

Expense Allocation Fiscal Year 216 215 214 Program Expense $1,946,497 $1,673,582 $1,583,735 Administration Expense $468,45 $487,856 $492,216 Fundraising Expense $317,391 $3,718 $27,17 Payments to Affiliates -- -- -- Total Revenue/Total Expenses 1.28 1.12.91 Program Expense/Total Expenses 71% 68% 68% Fundraising Expense/Contributed Revenue 16% 21% 3% Assets and Liabilities Fiscal Year 216 215 214 Total Assets $3,272,94 $2,551,89 $2,299,773 Current Assets $1,534,939 $751,862 $482,625 Long-Term Liabilities $ $ -- Current Liabilities $443,781 $433,543 $46,862 Total Net Assets $2,829,159 $2,118,347 $1,838,911 Short Term Solvency Fiscal Year 216 215 214 Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities 3.46 1.73 1.5 Long Term Solvency Fiscal Year 216 215 214 Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets % % % Top Funding Sources Fiscal Year 216 215 214 Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount -- -- -- Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar -- -- -- Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount -- -- -- Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? Campaign Purpose This season, BYSO launched a capital campaign to raise funds to find, procure and develop a new, permanent home in Boston where we can expand our programs and become the epicenter for youth arts in the city. Capital Campaign Anticipated in Next 5 Years? No Comments CEO Comments As BYSO s programs continue to grow so that more children can experience classical music in spectacular ways, I m delighted we ve been able to grow our budget to support these efforts. The 216 year was a great year for BYSO as we expanded programming, found new ways to engage our community and strengthened our financial health ensuring our bright future. 17

Foundation Staff Comments Financial summary data in the charts and graphs above are per the organization's IRS 99s. Contributions from foundations and corporations are listed under individuals when the breakout was not available. Created 4.7.218. Copyright 218 The Boston Foundation 18