Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra

What Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra does

The Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra (ESO), operated by the 501(c)(3) Elmhurst Symphony Association (EIN 23-7348453), is a community-supported symphony orchestra founded in 1961 in Elmhurst, Illinois. It presents a season of five regular concerts plus special events at the 836-seat Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church, featuring classical and Baroque-to-contemporary repertoire with guest soloists. The orchestra is a hybrid ensemble of professional and accomplished volunteer community musicians, supported by an administrative team of roughly six led by Executive Director Gregory Hughes (since July 2022) and Music Director and Conductor Stephen Alltop (since 1995, named Illinois Council of Orchestras Conductor of the Year in 2022).

Revenue is generated across three primary streams: (i) ticket sales and season subscriptions sold directly via the website (elmhurstsymphony.org) and box office, (ii) individual donations through a nine-tier giving program ranging from $100 (Supporter) to $50,000+ (Conductor Circle) with progressive recognition benefits, and (iii) corporate sponsorships priced from $300 (Quarter Page) to $1,400 (Back Cover). A planned-giving and endowment program, employer matching gifts, and grant funding from the Illinois Arts Council and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity provide additional contributed income. The technology stack supporting operations is standard nonprofit tooling — NeonOne for CRM/donation forms, MailChimp for the monthly e-newsletter, Stripe for payment processing, SlickText for SMS, and Google Analytics for web analytics.

The customer base spans individual concert-goers in the western Chicago suburbs, high-net-worth individual donors, local corporate sponsors, and high-school musicians participating in the annual Stanger Young Artist Competition (long-supported by the Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst). Strategic priorities formalized under a January 2024 Strategic Plan include audience development (including a new Young Professional Membership), principal-musician recruitment (appointments in January 2025), and continued community and education outreach including the Silver Measure volunteer-recognition program and Instrument Petting Zoo partnerships.

Name

Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra

Legal name

Elmhurst Symphony Association

Website

https://elmhurstsymphony.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra is a 501(c)(3) community symphony orchestra founded in 1961 in Elmhurst, Illinois, presenting five regular concerts plus special events at an 836-seat church venue for western Chicago suburban audiences, funded primarily through ticket sales, tiered individual donations ($100–$50,000+), and local corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Symphony Orchestra / Performing Arts

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAIAHAG

Arranging & Orchestration

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Production Services (Studios, Producers, Session Musicians)

Keywords

• Symphony orchestra concerts
• Live orchestral performances
• Classical music programs
• Young artist competitions
• Arts nonprofit fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Elmhurst

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible contributions from individuals at various giving levels ($100-$50,000+) with progressive benefits including program listings, donor recognition, private receptions, and exclusive experiences with the Music Director.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships ranging from $300-$1,400 offering program book ads, digital presence, featured profiles in newsletters and social media, and complimentary tickets to all five regular season concerts.
3. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single tickets and season subscriptions for concert attendance at the Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church venue.
4. Planned Giving and Endowments: Endowment contributions, IRA distributions for donors 72+, gift of securities, and employer matching gifts to support long-term organizational sustainability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra performs live orchestral concerts featuring classical repertoire from Baroque through contemporary works for the Elmhurst community and greater Chicago western suburbs. The organization operates a five-concert regular season at the 836-seat Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church venue and runs supplementary programs including the annual Stanger Young Artist Competition, donor membership tiers, and corporate sponsorship packages.

Product overview

The Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra is a community symphony orchestra that operates as a single, unified performing arts organization. Its primary offerings center on live orchestral concerts featuring the professional and volunteer musician ensemble, with related programs including the annual Stanger Young Artist Competition, volunteer recognition (Silver Measure Awards), donor membership tiers, corporate sponsorships, and season subscription packages. The orchestra performs at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church with approximately five main concerts per season.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Orchestral Concerts

Quantifiable outcome

• Record-setting ticket sales in November (second highest since Covid, fourth highest in 10 years)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kiwanis Club of ElmhurstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst has provided generous and ongoing sponsorship of the annual Stanger Young Artist Competition for many years. Their support helps provide performance opportunities for high school musicians to appear as soloists with a professional orchestra.
• Music Store Kagan & GainesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic Store Kagan & Gaines presented an 'Instrument Petting Zoo' at intermission during the Rising Stars of Stanger concert, offering audience members of all ages hands-on opportunities to explore musical instruments.
• Elmhurst Christian Reformed ChurchcoreOthersThe Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church serves as the home venue for the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra. Constructed in 2009, the 836-seat facility features comfortable seating and superb acoustics for orchestral concerts.
• Merida TriominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chicago-based Merida Trio (Charlene Kluegel violin, Jean Hatmaker cello, Katherine Petersen piano) collaborated with the ESO for Beethoven's Triple Concerto performance in April 2026.
• Elmhurst UniversityminorOthersESO has historically collaborated with Elmhurst University (formerly Elmhurst College) for performances and venue partnerships.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ravinia Festival: Major outdoor music festival in Highland Park, IL (northern Chicago suburb) serving as summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Comparable to ESO as a Chicago-area classical music presenter, though at substantially larger scale and with national profile.
• Lyric Opera of Chicago: Major Chicago-area performing arts organization presenting opera and classical music. Comparable to ESO as a Chicago-area classical music presenter serving similar audience demographics, though at significantly larger scale and budget.
• Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Premier Chicago-based symphony orchestra with global prestige. While ESO is a community orchestra, CSO operates in the same Chicago-area market, performs the same classical orchestral repertoire, and competes for audience attention and donor dollars at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Music of the Baroque: Chicago-based professional choral and orchestral ensemble specializing in Baroque and classical music performance. Comparable to ESO as a Chicago-area classical music performing organization with subscription-based concerts and similar donor audience.
• Naperville Symphony Orchestra: Suburban Chicago symphony orchestra serving the western suburbs. Highly comparable to ESO as a community-supported suburban Chicago orchestra with classical concert programming, similar scale, and overlapping donor pool.
• Grant Park Music Festival: Free summer classical music festival in Chicago presenting orchestral concerts. Directly comparable to ESO in performing live classical orchestral music for Chicago-area audiences, though ESO charges tickets and operates a fall-spring season schedule.
• Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra: Regional symphony orchestra serving Chicago's south suburbs. Comparable to ESO as a regional orchestra with community-supported operations, professional musician engagement, and classical orchestral programming for suburban Chicago audiences.
• Apollo Chorus of Chicago: Chicago-based choral organization also led by Music Director Stephen Alltop. Comparable as a Chicago-area performing arts ensemble under shared artistic leadership, serving similar audience demographics with classical vocal performance.
• Elgin Symphony Orchestra: Suburban Chicago symphony orchestra based in Elgin, IL. Comparable to ESO as a community-supported regional orchestra serving Chicago's western suburbs with classical concert programming and a similar operating model.
• Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra: Central Illinois symphony orchestra also led by Music Director Stephen Alltop. Directly comparable as a regional symphony orchestra under shared artistic leadership and similar community-supported operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/esomusic
• Facebookfacebook.com/ElmhurstSymphonyOrchestra

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra