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Auburn Symphony Orchestra reports attendance gains; city support continues at $75,000
Summary
At the Jan. 12 Auburn study session the Auburn Symphony Orchestra reported a 6% increase in attendance, described education and outreach programs, and confirmed $75,000 in annual city support for 2025 and 2026.
The Auburn Symphony Orchestra briefed the City Council on its 2024–25 season on Jan. 12, reporting modest audience growth and outlining education and outreach programs funded in part by the city.
Julie Krueger, the city's parks, arts and recreation director, introduced executive director Gabby Galloway and artistic director Wesley Schultz. Galloway said the orchestra's annual report — included in the council packet — showed a 6% increase in first-time ticket buyers and an overall rise in attendance. "Our subscriber base is still strong at just under 200," Galloway said, and the organization reported a surge of new donors this year.
The orchestra receives $75,000 from the city as part of the arts division budget for both 2025 and 2026 to support marketing, outreach, audience building and other services. Galloway credited that municipal support, together with the organization's endowment and external grants (including a sustained support grant and a free public access grant that reimburses donated tickets), for sustaining year-round programming and education initiatives.
Artistic Director Wesley Schultz detailed core education programs: the Link Up program (a Carnegie Hall initiative that brings every fourth grader in the Auburn Public School District, Carbonado and a tribal school to performance and learning sessions) and Rhythm and Rhymes, a free program pairing musicians with library storytime for preschool through third grade. Schultz also described collaborations with visiting artists, commissioning activity (a consortium-commissioned work premiered last season), and upcoming concerts including a Link Up performance scheduled for Jan. 20 at the Auburn Performing Arts Center.
Council members asked about the orchestra's fundraising and economic impact. Galloway said the group has about 200 subscribers, has recruited four new board members in the past year, and is beginning to collect donor-address data to better demonstrate out-of-city audience draw to support economic-impact estimates.
Next steps: The orchestra will continue outreach and education programming and staff said they will work with city economic-development staff to better quantify regional audience and spending patterns.
