Old First Concerts

What Old First Concerts does

Old First Concerts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit concert series founded in 1970 and based at Old First Church, 1751 Sacramento Street, San Francisco. The organization presents approximately 60 concerts annually spanning classical chamber music, piano recitals, jazz, and world music, with deliberate programming emphasis on works by women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ composers alongside established classical repertoire. All performances take place in the historic church venue, which features excellent acoustics and a meticulously maintained Hamburg Steinway concert grand piano; every concert is simultaneously live-streamed via the Old First Concerts YouTube channel, extending reach to a global online audience.

The organization's product surface is narrow: in-person concert tickets (general admission $30, seniors $25, students with ID $10, children under 12 free, and $5 for low-income seniors and students), donation-based virtual live-stream access, and tax-deductible donations. Its sub-brands include the 9th Annual San Francisco International Piano Festival (a long-standing hosting partnership) and the John R. Bodo Legacy Society (a planned-giving program for estate gifts). The underlying technology stack is intentionally minimal — a WordPress site with WooCommerce for ticketing, Constant Contact for the patron email newsletter, Google Analytics for traffic tracking, and YouTube as the streaming platform. No proprietary software, mobile app, or AI/ML features are deployed.

The business model combines ticket sales, individual patron donations (with a $125 suggested gift level), foundation grants (e.g., Ross McKee Foundation for the Piano Festival), and planned estate gifts through the Legacy Society. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the website, email newsletter, and at-the-door ticket sales, supplemented by volunteer-powered operations (ushers, box office, set-up) coordinated through a dedicated volunteer coordinator. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors (Thomas Culp as President, Christopher Burt as VP, Darren Presher as Treasurer, Randal P. Wong as Secretary) and led operationally by Director Matthew Wolka, who has held the role since January 2017.

Name

Old First Concerts

Legal name

Old First Concerts

Website

https://oldfirstconcerts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Old First Concerts is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1970 that presents approximately 60 classical, jazz, and world music concerts annually at Old First Church, serving music enthusiasts, local musicians, and budget-conscious patrons through affordable tickets and YouTube live streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Concerts

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

Keywords

• Live classical music
• Chamber music concerts
• Jazz performances
• World music series
• Nonprofit arts venue

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales for approximately 60 annual concerts at the Old First Church venue, with tiered pricing for general admission, seniors, students, and free admission for children 12 and under.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from patrons supporting the organization's mission to present accessible, high-quality concerts. The organization is a 501(c)3 nonprofit (Tax ID: 94-2898233) that relies on donor support alongside ticket revenue.
3. Live Stream Access: All performances are available as live streams on their YouTube channel, with donations accepted for virtual viewing access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Old First Concerts is a nonprofit concert series that presents approximately 60 concerts per year at Old First Church in San Francisco, featuring classical music, jazz, and world music. The organization sells tickets to in-person performances and live streams all concerts on its YouTube channel. It funds its programming through ticket sales, charitable donations, and foundation grants.

Product overview

Old First Concerts is a nonprofit concert series presenting approximately 60 diverse concerts annually at Old First Church in San Francisco. The organization offers concert ticket sales and live streaming via YouTube, alongside donation opportunities to support its mission of featuring music by women, BIPOC composers, and LGBTQ artists. Core offerings include the San Francisco International Piano Festival partnership and the John R. Bodo Legacy Society planned giving program. The venue features a Hamburg Steinway concert grand piano meticulously maintained by David Love.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• San Francisco International Piano Festival: An annual piano festival partnership with Old First Concerts, now in its 9th year, featuring international pianists and classical piano repertoire.
• John R. Bodo Legacy Society

Products and services

• Concert Ticket Sales

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ross McKee FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ross McKee Foundation provides grant support for the San Francisco International Piano Festival presented at Old First Concerts.
• EarplayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBay Area arts organization that has formed a partnership with Old First Concerts.
• San Francisco International Piano FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership where Old First Concerts serves as the venue for the annual San Francisco International Piano Festival, entering its 9th year.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• San Francisco Symphony: The San Francisco Symphony is the largest classical music presenter in the Bay Area, operating Davies Symphony Hall with a much larger subscriber base and budget. It competes for both ticket buyers and donors but serves a broader institutional mission.
• Cal Performances: Cal Performances is the University of California, Berkeley's presenting organization, programming classical, jazz, and world music across multiple series. It is a much larger, broader presenter that competes for Bay Area performing arts audiences and donors.
• San Francisco Opera: San Francisco Opera is a major Bay Area performing arts institution and historical employer-affiliation of Director Matthew Wolka. It operates at significantly larger scale and competes for classical music donors and audiences region-wide.

Regional players

• Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music: Cabrillo Festival is a California-based nonprofit contemporary classical music festival. It is comparable on the festival-anchor and contemporary programming angle, but is concentrated in Santa Cruz rather than San Francisco.
• La Jolla Music Society: La Jolla Music Society is a California-based nonprofit presenter of classical, jazz, and world music with its own venue. Comparable on programming mix and nonprofit ticketed model, but serves the San Diego market rather than the Bay Area.
• Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is a nonprofit chamber music presenter with a similar curated-concert and subscription model, but it operates primarily in New York. Comparable on programming philosophy and nonprofit structure.
• Berkeley Symphony: Berkeley Symphony is a nonprofit regional symphony presenting classical concerts in the East Bay. Comparable on nonprofit ticketed model and Bay Area classical audience, but operates as a full orchestra rather than a chamber/recital series.

Direct peers

• SF Performances: SF Performances is a nonprofit presenter of chamber music, jazz, and world music in San Francisco. It is the closest direct peer given overlapping genre mix, ticketed concert model, and shared Bay Area audience.
• SFJAZZ: SFJAZZ is a nonprofit performing arts organization presenting jazz and adjacent genres at its own venue in San Francisco. It overlaps with Old First Concerts on jazz programming, nonprofit ticketed model, and Bay Area audience.
• Earplay: Earplay is a Bay Area contemporary chamber music ensemble and presenter with an active partnership with Old First Concerts. Comparable on chamber programming, nonprofit structure, and Bay Area audience base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/OldFirstConcerts/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/old-first-church

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Old First Concerts