Every performance, every music lesson, and every community program becomes reality because of donors like you. While ticket sales cover only 20% of our costs, it's individual supporters who truly power the CSO's mission. When you give, you're not just supporting an orchestra – you're ensuring that our community continues to thrive through the power of live music.
Sustaining a Legacy of Musical Excellence
For 90 years, the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera has been more than an orchestra – we're a force for transformation, education, and inclusion across our region. Today, under the dynamic leadership of Music Director Ilya Ram, we're reaching new heights of artistic excellence while deepening our community impact across three states.
Each year, our musicians bring the transformative power of live music to over 28,700 people through mainstage performances and innovative community programs. From our acclaimed Classics series to groundbreaking accessibility initiatives like our All-Accessible Concerts, we're breaking down barriers to ensure everyone can experience the magic of orchestral music.
Your gift ensures that live orchestral music remains a vibrant part of life in our region, inspiring new generations and bringing our diverse community together through the universal language of music.
How Your Gift Makes A Difference
Your support brings world-class orchestral music to life through the CSO's magnificent Classics series. Under the dynamic direction of Music Director Ilya Ram, these performances unite more than 50 professional musicians—many of whom call Chattanooga home—to create unforgettable musical experiences. Each thoughtfully curated program showcases both timeless masterworks and innovative new compositions, while championing diverse voices through works by female, BIPOC, and marginalized composers. When you give to the CSO, you're not just supporting concerts—you're investing in the cultural vitality of our region and making possible the artistic excellence that has defined Southeast Tennessee's premiere symphony orchestra for 90 years.
Your support helps the CSO bring beloved popular music to life with full symphonic grandeur. From holiday favorites to movie scores and tributes to legendary artists, our Pops series delights audiences of all ages by bridging classical and contemporary entertainment. When you give to the CSO, you're creating magical moments that introduce new audiences to orchestral music while bringing cherished melodies to life through the power of more than 50 professional musicians on stage. Join us for these crowd-pleasing performances that make orchestral music accessible and exciting for everyone.
Your support brings beloved storybooks to vibrant musical life through the CSO's Family Series. These free, interactive performances combine classical music with captivating storytelling and large-scale puppetry, creating magical experiences that spark young imaginations. Children explore orchestral instruments at our pre-show "petting zoo," engage in educational crafts, and take home their own copy of the featured storybook. By bringing these concerts directly to underserved communities, your gift helps ensure every child in our region can experience the wonder of live orchestral music, fostering early literacy and a lifelong love of the arts.
Your support makes music truly accessible to everyone through our groundbreaking accessibility programs. The CSO's All-Accessible Concert offers a unique full-orchestra experience where families affected by disabilities can enjoy classical music in a welcoming environment, complete with ASL interpretation, captioning, and on-site music therapists. Our intimate Sensory-Friendly Concert Series creates safe, adaptive spaces where small ensembles perform up-close, allowing audiences to move freely and engage with the music naturally. Through these free performances, your gift ensures that everyone in our community—regardless of ability or sensory needs—can experience the transformative power of live orchestral music in an environment designed for their comfort.
Your support extends the CSO's impact far beyond the concert hall, particularly to students who need it most. Nearly 80% of our education programs serve Title I schools, where our musicians often provide the only music education available. Our Young People's Concerts transform learning for over 6,200 students annually through interactive performances, while our Music in Our Schools Month brings live orchestral music directly into underserved classrooms. Through Healing Harmonies, musicians bring comfort to healthcare settings and assisted living facilities, and our Youth Symphony provides scholarships to ensure cost never prevents talented young musicians from participating. Your gift makes these essential programs possible, helping us weave music into the fabric of daily life across our region through free performances, educational opportunities, and community partnerships that reach more than 12,700 people annually.
Pathways For Support
Supporting YOUR Orchestra brings the transformative power of live music to Chattanooga! Your gift helps create unforgettable performances and keeps world-class orchestral music accessible to our entire community.
Checks made payable to Chattanooga Symphony and Opera may be sent to:
Chattanooga Symphony and Opera
620 Lindsay St, #210,
Chattanooga, TN 37403
Have additional questions?
Contact Paul Powers, Director of Development, ppowers@chattanoogasymphony.org
For transfer instructions and to notify the CSO of an incoming gift of cash or stock, please contact Paul Powers Director of Development, at ppowers@chattanoogasymphony.org, 423-267-8583, ext 2104.
For Stock and Transfer Details - Click Here
The IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) allows individuals age 70½ or older to make an outright gift of as much as $100,000 annually to the CSO from a traditional IRA. The withdrawal amount may count toward your annual required minimum distribution (RMD). Although the RMD is not required until age 73, the QCD can be particularly beneficial for donors who do not itemize and instead file the standard deduction.
The QCD must be paid directly from your IRA to the CSO.
Have additional questions?
Contact Paul Powers, Director of Development, ppowers@chattanoogasymphony.org
Contact Paul Powers, ppowers@chattanoogasymphony.org, to chat about a donor-advised fund (DAF), which is a tax-wise charitable savings account that can give you the flexibility to recommend how much and how often money is granted to the CSO and other qualified charities. DAFs can also receive complex gifts like real estate or shares of your business.
We are proud to highlight the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga as a potential partner for those considering a DAF.
If you have an existing donor advised fund through another provider, DAF Direct enables you to recommend grants to the CSO directly from your DAF. If you have an account with Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, or BNY Mellon, select your fund provider’s name and you will be taken to their website to complete your gift.
Through a bequest, you can provide critical, flexible support to the CSO, or direct your gift to support ongoing specific needs such as educational programming or concert series. Naming the CSO in your will costs you nothing now and can be revised should your family’s circumstances change throughout your lifetime. Learn More
How it Works:
- You can leave a specific amount or percentage of your estate to the CSO, or a percentage of the remainder of your estate after accounting for heirs and other beneficiaries.
- Include the following sample language in your will: “I give ( _____ dollars or _____ percent of my estate or the remainder of my estate) to the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera (for its general purposes) or (for the benefit of <specific existing initiative of your choice.”
- Reach out to our Director of Development at 423-267-8583, ext 2104 or ppowers@chattanoogasymphony.org to let us know about your gift. We can help customize the language above to ensure your gift will be used how you intend—and we’d love to thank you!
Making a gift in honor of a loved one for birthdays, holidays or other milestones like graduations is a great way to recognize your shared love for the CSO. You may also choose to make gifts in memory of a loved one who has passed.
Have additional questions?
Contact Paul Powers, Director of Development, ppowers@chattanoogasymphony.org
You may be able to double your gift through your company’s matching gift program. Check with your employer’s Human Resources department.
Send the matching gift form provided by your employer to:
Chattanooga Symphony and Opera
620 Lindsay St, #210,
Chattanooga, TN 37403
Have additional questions?
Contact Paul Powers, Director of Development, ppowers@chattanoogasymphony.org
Did you know that when you support your favorite nonprofit by buying a specialty license plate, you also support the CSO?
Ordering a specialty plate for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Friends of the Smokies, or any other specialty plate benefits both that organization and the Tennessee Arts Commission. That revenue then comes directly back to the CSO through grants from the Arts Commission. Choose a plate that sings to your heart, and support your hometown orchestra in the process!