As we approach the end of the year, the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra would like to publicly acknowledge the incredible level of support we receive from our friends in the community in 2019. As a nonprofit symphony orchestra, it is not feasible to support our operations based on ticket sales alone, and this is not unusual. The typical professional symphony orchestra in the United States relies on a complex matrix of public, private, and individual donors to augment earned revenue brought in through ticket sales, sold performances, and program advertising revenue.
The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra’s most significant supporter is the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, who provided us with an $18,500 contract for services to support our 2019 performances. Not only did they award us this grant, but this season they awarded us the distinction of being an inaugural Multi-Year Funding Recipient. We were extremely grateful and honored to receive this competitive distinction among all the many deserving arts organizations in Fulton County.
Fulton County’s funding is an extremely important and critical component of our budget, as it provides unrestricted funding of our operations, allowing us to pay for administrative costs, artistic personnel, technical support, marketing expenses, and more. Our sincerely thanks go to our Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann and the staff and administrators at the Fulton County Arts Council for their support of the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra through this annual contract.
The City of Johns Creek was extremely generous in inviting the JCSO to perform on its annual Summer Concert Series for the third year in a row this past October. This annual concert is an important outreach opportunity for the JCSO, as it allows us to perform at the beautiful Mark Burkhalter Amphitheater at Newtown Park for a crowd of over 1,000 people. Largely due to the City’s support, we are able to perform free of charge for our audience, making classical music available and accessible to every single person in greater Johns Creek.
In addition to Fulton County, the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra received a $15,000 partner grant from the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA also receives support from its partner agency – the National Endowment for the Arts. What an honor to be counted among the elite arts organizations in Georgia who received this prestigious grant this season!
We also have a number of corporate sponsors who provide a critical level of support for our 2019-2020 season.
We were honored to receive a grant from Transamerica Foundation to support a new program to collaborate with Chattahoochee High School’s Fine Arts Department next March. This grant was a game changer for the orchestra and a real honor from one of the top companies in Johns Creek.
Emory Johns Creek Hospital generously sponsored our first sensory-friendly performance for families, “A Kids’ Christmas.” Emory has been a very strong supporter of the JCSO in almost every way for many years, for which we are very thankful. We received additional funding for “A Kids’ Christmas” from Constellation – An Exelon Company.
Our season sponsors include Northside Hospital and Renasant Bank. Our season supporters provide general operating support for our programming all season long. Our Christmas Gala Concert this year was supported by Stuart Perry Agency, Farmers Insurance, for which we are thankful.
Additionally, Appen Media, our media sponsor, provides us with in-kind support of our marketing operations, allowing us to expand our reach within the North Fulton community.
As you can see, it takes a village to support an orchestra, and these are just a few of the many entities who make the JCSO’s beautiful music on stage a reality. We encourage you to visit our donor page to view a complete list of the people, organizations, and businesses whose support enables the JCSO to bring professional classical music into the Johns Creek community during the year. If you are able, please patronize those who support the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, and mention that because their contribution makes a big impact for the JCSO, it matters to you.
If you or your business are interested in sponsoring or getting involved with the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, please visit our sponsor page or contact JCSO Executive Director Linda Brill at johnscreeksymphony@gmail.com.