THE
BIG PICTURE
As you will read in the enclosed, the 2025-26 season was marked by incredible milestones.
As we reflect on Fiscal Year 2026, we do so with a profound sense of gratitude and optimism. Together with our musicians, audiences, donors, volunteers, partners, and staff, we advanced the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’ s mission in meaningful ways, sharing the transformative power of music with more than 389,667 audience members through performances, educational programs, and engagement initiatives presented across Maryland and beyond. Most importantly, we continued to serve Marylanders where they are, offering accessible programming that celebrates the full diversity of symphonic music in communities throughout our state.
This report highlights several milestones of a remarkable year, complete with the perspectives of civic leaders, donors, and sponsors whose investments made such ambitious plans possible. We hope you will read these stories with pride, and with excitement for all that lies ahead in the 2026-27 season already underway.
Beyond the enclosed pages, we strengthened public-private partnerships that are helping to preserve and enhance the BSO’ s uniquely owned physical assets: the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and the Cathedral Street Garage. During the year, we opened two newly modernized spaces at the Meyerhoff, the Zamoiski Room and Musicians’ Lounge, completing the second phase in a multiyear initiative supported by private donors and the State of Maryland. Additional State investment is advancing future capital planning and supporting a strategic engagement with the Maryland Stadium Authority, including the BSO’ s first independent economic impact study and a review of critical building systems. We are likewise grateful to the Goldseker Foundation and an anonymous donor for supporting a Cap Ex Advisory Group feasibility study examining the redevelopment potential of the shuttered Cathedral Street Garage site. In the meantime, the Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds are underwriting a locally inspired mural project at the site in coordination with the organization Nosreme. We promise ongoing transparency as each of these important projects move forward across the 2026-27 season and beyond.
As we begin a new season, we can share another special update. We recently ratified a new threeyear agreement with our stagehands represented by Local 19, I. A. T. S. E. Their behind-the-scenes expertise ensures every performance meets the highest standards. Like the agreements announced last year, this contract reflects our shared commitment to artistic excellence, operational stability, and long-term vitality.
4 BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA