Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Reaches Musicians' Endowment Milestone

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra today announced that the organization has raised approximately $17 million of the $25 million goal for its Musicians' Endowment Campaign, meeting the Woodruff Arts Center matching gift goal in less than a year. The Musicians' Endowment Campaign is a key component of the $100 million Transformation Campaign launched by the Woodruff Arts Center in April.

The cornerstone gift of the Musicians' Endowment is a $7.7 million matching grant from The Woodruff Foundation, donated as an incentive for early donors to double their impact. The Musicians' Endowment is a restricted fund that will endow musicians' salaries and benefits in perpetuity and ultimately restore 11 positions to the Orchestra's complement. Thanks to this early success, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has hired three positions including principal bass, Colin Corner; second horn, Ernesto Tovar Torres; and bass, Karl Fenner, who will begin in January. Auditions for three additional positions are underway.

The Woodruff Foundation grant has largely been activated by generous gifts from Atlanta Symphony Orchestra donors, including leadership gifts of one million dollars or more, donated by Sally and Carl Gable, Merrell and Connie Calhoun, Lucy and Gary Lee, The Kendeda Fund, Abraham J. and Phyllis Katz Foundation, and two anonymous donors, one of whom named a chair in honor of long-time Orchestra champion, Betty Sands Fuller. All leadership gifts at this level will be recognized as named chairs on the Orchestra's roster.

"We are very appreciative for the tremendous support of the Woodruff Foundation, the Woodruff Arts Center and our very generous donors who have helped the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra reach this Musicians' Endowment Campaign milestone in less than a year," said Music Director Robert Spano and John B. White, Jr., co-chairs of the Musicians' Endowment Campaign. "This early success toward reaching our $25 million goal is gratifying, but more work remains to be done as we build on this positive momentum to make the Orchestra financially sound for generations to come."

"The Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra are thankful for the generous support of our passionate donors and the incentivized matching grant provided by the Woodruff Foundation to raise $17 million towards the goal of $25 million for the Musicians' Endowment Campaign," said Daniel Laufer, Associate Principal Cellist and President of the Players' Association. "We look forward to the successful completion of this campaign to restore 11 vital positions to our Orchestra. The leadership teams of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Woodruff Arts Center continue to demonstrate their commitment to our Orchestra by seizing this positive momentum and capitalizing on these much needed efforts to financially strengthen the foundation of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra."

"When the Musicians' Endowment Campaign was launched in January of 2015, the goal was to raise $25 million by September of 2018," said Virginia Hepner, President and CEO, The Woodruff Arts Center. "It is truly a remarkable accomplishment to have met the Woodruff Foundation match, securing $17 million toward that goal in less than a year and my appreciation goes out to the Woodruff Foundation, our incredibly generous donors and to our dedicated Atlanta Symphony Orchestra team."

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