September 13, 2016
Ticket Sales, Attendance and Fundraising Increased Up to 20 Percent During 2015/16 Season
Nashville, Tenn. (September 13, 2016) – For the third consecutive year, the Nashville Symphony has broken its own record for ticket sales and fundraising during the recently completed 2015/16 concert season.
Ticket sales for the 2015/16 season, which concluded on July 31, totaled $11.1 million, representing 23% percent growth over the $9 million in ticket sales the organization recorded the previous season. Other notable figures:
- Total attendance for the season was more than 191,000, up from 168,000 in 2014/15 – a 14 percent increase.
- Continuing a recent trend of increased growth in performances, the Symphony presented 132 concerts in 2015/16, seven more than the previous season.
- 44,346 households purchased a total of 200,573 Nashville Symphony tickets during 2015/16 (including those for performances at Ascend Amphitheater) and 23,253, or 52 percent, of those buyers were new patrons.
Additionally, the organization raised more than $7.3 million in donations during 2015/16 – up from $6.6 million the prior season, and saw growth in a number of fundraising areas, including:
- A 10 percent increase in contributions to the Nashville Symphony Annual Fund, setting an all-time high for the third straight season.
- An increase of more than 700 individual donors, who contributed an average gift of $900.
- A 35 percent increase in the number of foundations supporting the Symphony, and a 27 percent increase in the number of companies supporting the organization at the $5,000 contribution level.
- An 18 percent increase in staff contributions to the Annual Fund.
“The Nashville Symphony continues to build on a string of successes in recent years with a truly historic 2015/16 season, during which we not only shattered records for earned and contributed revenue, but also earned our eighth GRAMMY® Award and saw our recording with Ben Folds top the Billboard Classical Albums chart,” said Alan D. Valentine, Nashville Symphony president and CEO. “We are all grateful for the unwavering support of the Middle Tennessee community, which, along with our musicians, staff and volunteers, has made all of these accomplishments possible.”
The Nashville Symphony is now celebrating its 70th anniversary season – and 10th anniversary at Schermerhorn Symphony Center – in 2016/17 with more than 120 classical, pops and jazz concerts. The orchestra’s flagship Aegis Sciences Classical Series – which kicks off with performances of Mahler’s Second on September 22-24 – includes at least one work by an American composer on every program, as well as five live recordings and the world premiere of a commission by bassist Edgar Meyer. A full listing of concerts is available online at:
NashvilleSymphony.org/tickets.
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