Redwood Symphony

What Redwood Symphony does

Redwood Symphony is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit community orchestra founded in October 1985 by Music Director Eric Kujawsky and based in Redwood City, California. The organization fields an all-volunteer ensemble of 80+ musicians with an average tenure of 21 years, performing 6–8 concerts per season at Cañada College Main Theater (primary venue since 2007), San Mateo Performing Arts Center, and Redwood City Courthouse Square (outdoor summer series). Programming emphasizes ambitious contemporary repertoire and classical staples, including all Mahler symphonies and Sondheim concert productions with full theatrical casts and Broadway orchestrators such as Jonathan Tunick.

The orchestra has no proprietary technology platform; operations run on third-party Arts-People.com ticketing, Constant Contact email, and standard social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube). The organization monetizes through four revenue streams: ticket sales (Adults $35 advance, Seniors $30, Students $15, Children under 18 free; season subscriptions at 6-for-the-price-of-4 bundles), tiered charitable donations (Friend through Patron at $49–$1,000+, plus corporate matching and stock gifts), branded merchandise (t-shirts, CDs via CafePress and Bonfire), and the occas

Name

Redwood Symphony

Legal name

Redwood Symphony

Website

https://redwoodsymphony.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Redwood Symphony is a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer community orchestra in Redwood City, California, founded in 1985, performing 6–8 concerts per season of ambitious classical and contemporary repertoire for Bay Area audiences via subscription, donations, and merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Symphony Orchestra / Live Classical Music Performance

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG), Virtual Concerts & Music Festivals (Livestreamed Performances) (MPAGAOAD)

Keywords

• Community orchestra performances
• Symphonic concert series
• Live classical music
• Nonprofit arts organization
• Orchestral subscription concerts

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Single tickets and season subscriptions for concert performances. Adults $35 advance, Seniors $30 advance, Students $15. Season tickets available at discounted bundle pricing.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: Tax-deductible contributions through Patron ($1000+), Benefactor ($500-$999), Sustainer ($100-$499), Supporter ($50-$99), and Friend (up to $49) tiers. Corporate matching programs supported.
3. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, recordings (CDs) through online platforms like CafePress and Bonfire.
4. Stock Gifts: Accepts gifts of stocks and marketable securities as charitable donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Redwood Symphony is an all-volunteer community orchestra that delivers live symphonic performances featuring ambitious contemporary repertoire and great orchestral classics, presenting roughly 6-8 concerts per season at Cañada College Main Theater and partner venues. Offerings include a season subscription concert series, special productions (such as Sondheim concert presentations with full theatrical casts), family/community concerts (Halloween Family Concert, free summer outdoor concerts), branded merchandise, and commercial CD recordings.

Product overview

Redwood Symphony is an all-volunteer community orchestra founded in 1985, currently in its 41st season. The organization offers a portfolio of live symphonic performance products including season subscription concert series at Cañada College, Sondheim concert productions with full theatrical casts, family and community concerts (Halloween and outdoor summer events), and recorded CD releases. Supplementary offerings include merchandise through online platforms and educational programs through dedicated funding initiatives for ticket subsidies, artist collaborations, and new music commissions. The orchestra performs ambitious contemporary and classical repertoire with volunteer musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Orchestra Performances Live symphonic performances featuring ambitious contemporary and classical orchestral repertoire performed by 80+ volunteer musicians, presented as subscription concerts, special events, and seasonal programs at Cañada College Main Theater, San Mateo Performing Arts Center, and Redwood City Courthouse Square. Targeted at Bay Area community audience members and classical music enthusiasts.
• Season Subscription Concert Series Multi-concert subscription packages offering 6 concerts at discounted bundled rates for the 41st, 42nd, and subsequent seasons, including pre-concert talks and assigned seating at Cañada College Main Theater. Targeted at individual subscribers and regular concert attendees.
• Sondheim Concert Productions Concert presentations of Stephen Sondheim musicals including Sweeney Todd, Follies, and A Little Night Music, performed in collaboration with full casts, directors, and original orchestrators such as Jonathan Tunick. Targeted at classical and musical theater audiences.
• Family and Community Concerts Free or low-cost concerts designed for families, including the annual Halloween Family Concert and free outdoor summer concerts at Redwood City Courthouse Square, with special programming for children. Targeted at families with children in the Bay Area.
• CD and Recording Sales Professionally recorded and edited orchestral recordings available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes, featuring classical repertoire (Brahms, Copland, Stravinsky, Bartok) and world-premiere recordings of contemporary works on the Clarity Recordings label. Targeted at classical music listeners and recording collectors.
• Redwood Symphony Merchandise Online gift shop offering Redwood Symphony branded merchandise including apparel and special 40th anniversary t-shirt designs, sold through CafePress and Bonfire platforms. Targeted at orchestra supporters, fans, and concert attendees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Founded 1985, now in 42nd season - over 40 years of continuous community service
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 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 major, core and minor.

• Mason BatesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Grammy award-winning composer and DJ serving as Honorary Chair for 40th Anniversary Campaign. Guest performer playing electronica in Alternative Energy composition. Composer-in-residence at Kennedy Center.
• Cañada CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBase of operations since 2007. Redwood Symphony performs at Cañada College Main Theater for regular subscription concerts. College provides venue, facilities, and student engagement opportunities. Faculty, students, and staff admitted free to concerts.
• Schola Cantorum Silicon ValleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner75-voice auditioned chorus collaborating on major works including Stravinsky's Les Noces and Symphony of Psalms. Led by Buddy James, who serves as Music Director. Multiple collaborative performances annually.
• San Francisco Bay Area Chamber ChoirmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded 1978, 75-voice chorus under direction of Buddy James. Collaborates on choral-orchestral works including Stravinsky Les Noces.
• Preferred Dining PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal restaurant partnership program including Buck's (Woodside), Flea Street (Menlo Park), Franklin Street Caffe (Redwood City), The Refuge (San Carlos), Molly O's, Donato Enoteca, Milagros, Timber and Salt, and Doc's Bagels. Provides dining offers for concert patrons.
• Arts-People.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline ticketing platform for concert ticket sales and subscription purchases. Also handles donation processing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• California Symphony: Bay Area symphony orchestra based in Walnut Creek, performing symphonic repertoire with a mix of paid and volunteer musicians. Comparable regional community/professional hybrid model serving East Bay and Contra Costa audiences distinct from Redwood Symphony's Peninsula market.
• Modesto Symphony Orchestra: Regional professional orchestra in California's Central Valley. Comparable symphonic repertoire and concert-season model, though serves a different geographic market from Redwood Symphony's Bay Area Peninsula base.
• Oakland Symphony: Bay Area symphony orchestra serving Oakland and the East Bay. Eric Kujawsky has guest-conducted this ensemble, indicating direct artistic overlap. Comparable symphonic programming but serves a different sub-region of the Bay Area.
• Berkeley Symphony: Bay Area regional orchestra serving the East Bay. Comparable symphonic repertoire programming and community engagement mission, though based in Berkeley rather than the Peninsula, so it competes for overlapping but distinct audience segments.
• Fresno Philharmonic: Regional orchestra in California's Central Valley. Similar symphonic programming and subscription concert model, but geographically distant from Redwood Symphony's market and serves a different demographic base.
• Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera: Regional symphony and opera organization serving California's capital region. Comparable in combining symphonic performance with broader performing arts programming, though at a different scale and serving a separate Northern California geography.

Direct peers

• Peninsula Symphony: Community orchestra serving the same San Francisco Peninsula geography as Redwood Symphony. Both serve amateur musicians and local classical music audiences in adjacent Peninsula communities, making them the most directly comparable community-orchestra peer in the immediate market.
• Diablo Symphony Orchestra: Community orchestra in the East Bay where Eric Kujawsky has guest-conducted. Highly comparable as a community-level symphonic ensemble with similar volunteer musician model and amateur performance programming for local audiences.
• Symphony Silicon Valley: Professional regional orchestra in the South Bay performing symphonic repertoire for Bay Area audiences. Closest professional peer in the immediate geography with overlapping audience and donor base, but operates with paid musicians at a different cost structure.

Broad incumbents

• San Francisco Symphony: The flagship professional orchestra in the Bay Area, also based in San Francisco. Directly comparable symphonic repertoire and target audience in the same geography, but operates at vastly greater scale, with paid musicians, a much larger endowment, and Davies Symphony Hall as home venue. Redwood Symphony actually performed there for Mahler Symphony of a Thousand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/redwoodsymphony
• Facebookfacebook.com/RedwoodSymphony
• Instagraminstagram.com/redwoodsymph
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/redwood-symphony

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Redwood Symphony