Orchestra Next

What Orchestra Next does

Orchestra Next is a non-profit training orchestra founded in 2012 in Eugene, Oregon, by Music Director Brian McWhorter and General Manager Sarah Viens. The organization serves as the resident orchestra for the Eugene Ballet Company, providing live orchestral accompaniment for all major ballet productions at the Hult Center's Silva Concert Hall, including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Petrushka, The Firebird, Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake, and Kenji Bunch's commissioned score The Snow Queen. Its distinguishing model pairs approximately 15 professional principal musicians — many of whom are University of Oregon faculty or members of the Eugene Symphony — with up to 30 student musicians per season, who receive $250 stipends and hands-on mentorship in live performance conditions.

The organization's core offerings are services and content rather than technology products: live ballet accompaniment, a structured musician mentorship program, audio recordings released through Innova Recordings and on major streaming platforms (Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify), and the "...and the Band Played ON" podcast (21+ episodes since 2020). Distribution is event-driven and regional, centered on the Hult Center in Eugene with selected satellite collaborations (UO Theatre, Eugene Concert Choir, Soromundi Lesbian Choir, Oregon Contemporary Theatre). Notable operational initiatives include the pandemic-era HomeNut virtual recording project (2020) and the SAIL ON summer music camp partnership with the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance.

Revenue is generated through two streams: tax-deductible donations and contributions from individuals, corporate sponsors, and cultural trusts (with the Oregon Cultural Trust as primary sponsor and the Ronni S. Lacroute Fund of Oregon Community Foundation sponsoring the Music Director position), and performance revenue from Eugene Ballet Company productions. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors (Amy Adams, President; Phyllis Helland, Secretary; Ray Morse, Treasurer; plus five additional members including ex-officio Brian McWhorter). No venture funding, parent company, or subsidiaries are indicated, consistent with its non-profit status.

Name

Orchestra Next

Legal name

Orchestra Next

Website

https://orchestranext.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Orchestra Next is a non-profit training orchestra in Eugene, Oregon, founded in 2012. It serves as resident orchestra for the Eugene Ballet Company, pairing Pacific Northwest professional musicians with student mentees in live ballet productions and recording projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts - Orchestra Services

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Sound Recording Studios (51224), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Arranging & Orchestration (MPAIAHAG)

Keywords

• Live orchestral performance
• Ballet accompaniment services
• Musician training programs
• Non-profit performing arts
• Orchestral music education

Headquarters

HQ city

Eugene

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Orchestra Next operates as a non-profit organization relying on tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and cultural trusts to support live music performances and musician mentorship programs.
2. Performance Revenue: Revenue generated from live orchestral performances for the Eugene Ballet Company and other performances, though the organization emphasizes keeping administrative costs low.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Orchestra Next provides live orchestral music for ballet and theatrical productions, serving as the resident orchestra for the Eugene Ballet Company at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene, Oregon. It also runs a paid mentorship program that pairs student musicians with professional Pacific Northwest orchestral musicians, and produces commercial audio recordings of its productions. All programs are delivered through a non-profit, donation-funded operating model with low administrative overhead.

Product overview

Orchestra Next is a non-profit training orchestra and resident ensemble with the Eugene Ballet Company. Founded in 2012, the organization offers live orchestral accompaniment for ballet productions (including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Petrushka, The Firebird, Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake, and Scheherazade), operates a musician mentorship program pairing students with Pacific Northwest professionals, produces audio recordings of ballet scores, and hosts a podcast. The organization functions as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-with-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Ballet Orchestral Accompaniment Live orchestral music performance service for the Eugene Ballet Company at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene, Oregon, covering full-length ballet productions including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Petrushka, The Firebird, Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake, and Scheherazade.
• Musician Mentorship Training Program Paid training program for aspiring orchestral musicians that places students alongside professional musicians in live rehearsal and performance settings; partners with the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance through the SAIL ON summer program and offers $250 stipends to participants.
• The Snow Queen Album Commercial audio recording of Kenji Bunch's original ballet score The Snow Queen, performed by Orchestra Next and conducted by Brian McWhorter; released on Innova Recordings and available on Amazon, Apple Music, and Spotify.
• The Nutcracker Album Recording of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker performed by Orchestra Next and conducted by Brian McWhorter, available on Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify.
• HomeNut Virtual Recording Virtual multi-location recording of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker in which musicians recorded individual parts from their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, later assembled into a complete performance.
• Personal Game Original Score Original musical score created by Orchestra Next musicians for a live theatre experience showcasing University of Oregon MFA candidate Ashley Baker's costume designs, produced through a socially-distanced collaborative recording process.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ Nutcracker performances at Hult Center since 2012
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Eugene Ballet CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Orchestra Next serves as the resident orchestra for the Eugene Ballet Company, providing live orchestral music for all major productions including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Petrushka, The Firebird, Romeo & Juliet, and The Snow Queen. This is the founding and primary partnership of Orchestra Next, established in 2012.
• University of OregoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnership with UO School of Music and Dance through the SAIL ON program, a free summer music camp for Oregon high school musicians. Many Orchestra Next musicians are UO faculty members. The partnership provides student musicians for the training orchestra.
• Oregon Cultural TrustmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary sponsor of Orchestra Next. The Oregon Cultural Trust is a state arts funding organization that provides generous sponsorship support for the orchestra's performances and operations.
• Lane County Cultural CoalitionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Lane County Cultural Coalition, part of the Oregon Cultural Trust network, provided support for Orchestra Next's performance of Cinderella, supporting live music and cultural programming in Lane County.
• Oregon Contemporary TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for the Lizzie production as part of the 2025-26 season. Oregon Contemporary Theatre is co-presenting this production with Orchestra Next.
• Eugene Concert ChoirminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Carmina Burana and other large-scale choral works. The organizations have collaborated on concert choir and orchestra joint performances.
• Soromundi Lesbian Choir of EugeneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for choral-orchestral performances. Partner organization for diverse choral programming.
• UO Theatre DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for theatrical productions requiring live orchestral music, including The Dead musical production.
• Innova RecordingsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecord label partner for The Snow Queen album release. Orchestra Next's debut recording was released on Innova Recordings, a label operated by the American Composers Forum.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Oregon Symphony: Largest professional orchestra in Oregon, based in Portland. Overlaps in repertoire, audience, donors, and musician recruitment, and multiple Orchestra Next principals also perform with Oregon Symphony, but it operates a much broader concert season with no embedded training-arm or ballet residency.

Direct peers

• New World Symphony: Miami-based fellowship training orchestra widely regarded as the U.S. benchmark for pre-professional orchestral training. Closest functional analog to Orchestra Next's student-plus-professional training mission, although operating at much larger scale and with a year-round concert series rather than a ballet-residency focus.
• Eugene Symphony: Same-city, established regional orchestra founded decades before Orchestra Next. Competes for the same Eugene-based audience, musicians, and UO-connected talent pool, and several Orchestra Next principals (including Music Director Brian McWhorter) sit on both organizations' rosters.
• Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra: Seattle-based orchestra for Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the country's premier ballet companies. Functionally comparable as a resident ballet orchestra within the broader Pacific Northwest performing arts ecosystem that Orchestra Next also serves.
• Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra: Orchestral musicians supporting Oregon Ballet Theatre productions in Portland. Performs the same functional role as Orchestra Next — providing live orchestral accompaniment to professional ballet — but tied to a different resident ballet company in a larger market.

Regional players

• Sarasota Orchestra: Regional Florida orchestra of broadly comparable size to the Eugene Symphony. Relevant comparable for Orchestra Next's scale, geographic reach, and educational programming priorities; one Orchestra Next board member (Lydia Van Dreel) was previously on its roster.

Emerging players

• Louisville Orchestra: Mid-sized regional orchestra notable for its commissioning and recording program (the 'Louisville Orchestra First Edition' recordings). Comparable to Orchestra Next in their shared emphasis on commissioning and recording new American works at a regional scale.

Others

• American Composers Forum (Innova Recordings): Parent of Innova Recordings, Orchestra Next's record label partner for The Snow Queen. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor; relevant because the Innova relationship is a distinctive channel for Orchestra Next's recorded output.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/orchestranext
• Facebookfacebook.com/orchestranext
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orchestra-next

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Orchestra Next