Cascade Symphony Orchestra

What Cascade Symphony Orchestra does

Cascade Symphony Orchestra is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community orchestra incorporated under Washington State charter in 1962, headquartered in Edmonds, Washington, and serving South Snohomish County's population of more than 150,000 people. The organization fields an all-volunteer ensemble of approximately 60 musicians who collectively donate over 9,000 hours annually through weekly rehearsals and concerts under the direction of Music Director Michael Miropolsky, who has held the role since 2002 and brings credentials including former Assistant Principal Second Violin with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

The orchestra's product portfolio centers on a season-based concert series performed primarily at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, supplemented by chamber music concerts at Edmonds Waterfront Center and Maple Park Lutheran Church in Lynnwood. Education products include an annual Rising Star Concerto Competition, a Children's Concert (e.g., 'The Story of Babar'), $2,000-$3,000 scholarships for high school seniors, and a Summer Music School in partnership with Edmonds School District. Virtual concert content on YouTube extends reach beyond live attendance, with past examples including the PBS-aired Rick Steves' Europe: A Symphonic Journey.

Revenue mechanics are multi-stream: ticket sales through Edmonds Center for the Arts box office, individual donations and grants (including monthly giving, securities giving, RMD giving, charitable remainder trusts), Business Alliance corporate sponsorships, and tiered corporate packages ranging from $99 (Friend) to $25,000+ (Maestro's Circle). Major funding partners include ArtsWA, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Hazel Miller Foundation, and the Edmonds Arts Commission. The organization explicitly states it cannot exist on ticket sales alone and depends on community contributions for viability.

Name

Cascade Symphony Orchestra

Legal name

Cascade Symphony Orchestra

Website

https://cascadesymphony.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cascade Symphony Orchestra is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community orchestra founded in 1962, serving South Snohomish County's 150,000+ residents through volunteer-driven live classical music performances, chamber concerts, and music education programs at the Edmonds Center for the Arts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Symphony Orchestra

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Music & Dance Festivals (Non-Commercial/Local) (MPAGAEAH), Music Schools & Conservatory Prep (Pre-College) (EDAMANAE)

Keywords

• Symphony orchestra performances
• Classical music concerts
• Community performing arts
• Music education programs
• Chamber music recitals

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonds

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from concert ticket sales. Season subscriptions and individual concert tickets sold through Edmonds Center for the Arts Box Office in person, by phone, or mail-in order form.
2. Individual Donations and Grants: Major funding source as the orchestra cannot exist on ticket sales alone. Includes monthly giving program, securities giving, RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) giving, charitable remainder trusts, and honor an orchestra member donations. Organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with Tax ID #91-2072869.
3. Business Alliance Sponsorships: Local businesses join the Business Alliance to support the orchestra. Benefits include being listed as sponsors, draw visitors who spend money at local businesses, and help ensure long-term survival of the orchestra.
4. Corporate Sponsorship Tiers: Corporate sponsorship levels from Friend ($99) up to Maestro's Circle ($25,000+), with various benefits including season sponsorships, concert sponsorships, soloist sponsorships, and premier reception guest passes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Cascade Symphony Orchestra is an all-volunteer community symphony orchestra that produces and performs live classical music concerts, including a Season Concert Series, Chamber Music Concerts, and a Children's Concert, for residents of Edmonds, Washington and the greater Puget Sound region. In addition to performances, the orchestra operates music education and community engagement programs such as a Summer Music School, scholarships, auditions, and a Rising Star Competition for young musicians.

Product overview

Cascade Symphony Orchestra is a community symphony providing live orchestral music performances and educational programs to the Edmonds, Washington area. The organization operates as a single unified offering centered on classical music concerts, supplemented by education initiatives (Rising Star Competition, Children's Concert, Scholarships, Summer Music School) and community programs (Auditions, Business Alliance). Digital content including virtual concert recordings is also available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Season Concert Series The flagship annual series of live symphonic concerts performed by the all-volunteer Cascade Symphony Orchestra, available to individual ticket buyers and season subscribers in the Puget Sound region.
• Chamber Music Concerts Smaller-ensemble classical music recitals performed by orchestra members and guest musicians, designed for audiences seeking more intimate classical music experiences.
• Children's Concert A community-engagement concert designed for families and children, introducing young audiences to live symphonic music as part of the orchestra's community outreach programming.
• Rising Star Competition A competitive performance opportunity for young student musicians, providing them a platform to perform with or before the symphony and gain recognition for musical achievement.
• Summer Music School A summer instructional program providing classical music training to young students in the Puget Sound community, with instruction by orchestra members and music educators.
• Music Scholarships Financial awards provided to support young musicians' access to music education, training, and competition opportunities offered by the orchestra.
• Business Alliance Sponsorship Program A tiered corporate sponsorship program enabling local and regional businesses to financially support the orchestra in exchange for recognition, visibility, and community association benefits.
• Auditions An open audition process by which community musicians can apply and audition to perform as members of the all-volunteer Cascade Symphony Orchestra.
• Virtual Concerts Online-streamed performances of the orchestra's concert programming, extending audience reach beyond the in-person Edmonds/Puget Sound community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves area of over 150,000 people in South Snohomish County
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Edmonds Center for the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdmonds Center for the Arts is honored to serve as the home performance venue for Cascade Symphony Orchestra, a partnership that has flourished since the Center opened. For over six decades, Cascade Symphony has enriched lives through dedication to delivering polished performances of outstanding music. The partnership provides the venue for all main season concerts.
• Edmonds Waterfront CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCascade Symphony partners with the Edmonds Waterfront Center to present a chamber music series, with concerts in November and April. The performances take place in the large room at the Waterfront Center overlooking beautiful Puget Sound. These intimate concerts allow audience members to hear Cascade Symphony instrumentalists in a chamber music context.
• Rick Steves EuropeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2013, Michael Miropolsky, Rick Steves and the Cascade Symphony Orchestra created the innovative program Rick Steves' Europe: A Symphonic Journey, which received a 60-minute presentation on PBS and was released on both CD and DVD. Rick Steves, host of Rick Steves' Europe, is also on the Honorary Board of Cascade Symphony Orchestra.
• ArtsWA (Washington State Arts Commission)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor sponsor of Cascade Symphony Orchestra as a state arts agency providing funding support for artistic initiatives and community outreach programs.
• National Endowment for the ArtscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor federal arts sponsor providing grant funding to support Cascade Symphony Orchestra's artistic initiatives and music education programs.
• Edmonds Arts CommissioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal arts funding body providing sponsorship support for Cascade Symphony Orchestra's performances and educational programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Northwest Sinfonietta: Puget Sound-based chamber orchestra performing classical repertoire in the same South Snohomish / King County catchment with a comparable nonprofit operating model.
• Tacoma Symphony Orchestra: Regional symphony serving Washington's South Sound with a similar community orchestra model and overlapping season programming.
• Everett Philharmonic Orchestra: Snohomish County-based community orchestra with overlapping geography, comparable volunteer-amateur structure, and similar mix of season concerts and education programs.
• Seattle Chamber Orchestra: Chamber orchestra also founded and led by Michael Miropolsky in 2002; directly comparable in artistic direction and serves an overlapping Puget Sound audience.
• Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra: Community symphony in the Puget Sound region presenting classical concerts to a similar volunteer-driven, donation-supported operating model in an overlapping metropolitan market.
• Bremerton Symphony Orchestra: Washington State community symphony sharing the same regional donor pool; in fact, Cascade Symphony was founded in 1962 by musicians departing the Bremerton Symphony, making it a directly comparable peer in age, mission, and scale.
• Philharmonia Northwest Chamber Orchestra: Pacific Northwest chamber orchestra with shared Puget Sound audience and similar amateur-professional mix; honorary board member Roupen Shakarian is the retired Music Director of Philharmonia Northwest, indicating direct programmatic overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Seattle Symphony Orchestra: The dominant professional orchestra in the same region with paid musicians, a much larger budget, and Benaroya Hall. Competes for patrons and donors across the greater Seattle area, and shares former affiliation with Music Director Miropolsky.

Regional players

• Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra: Puget Sound regional community orchestra with a comparable volunteer ensemble model and similar season-concert structure, drawing from a different but nearby geography.

Emerging players

• Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras: Youth-focused orchestra organization serving the same Pacific Northwest region; comparable educational mission (training young musicians) that overlaps with Cascade's Rising Star and Summer Music School programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJz1lxpTsqMSpbWjuLE6CnA?lang=en
• Facebookfacebook.com/cascadesymphony
• Instagraminstagram.com/cascadesymphony
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cascade-symphony-orchestra

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cascade Symphony Orchestra