Charleston Symphony

The CSO is celebrating its 85th season of serving the community through engaging musical performances and enriching education initiatives. The Charleston Symphony is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts, and strives to provide culturally meaningful and relevant programming for audiences of all backgrounds. As the largest full-time performing arts organization in the state, the CSO serves close to 50,000 adults and children annually. The CSO now invests more than $530,000 annually in its education initiatives to reach students throughout the tri-county region.

Employing 24 full-time “core” musicians and more than 100 guest musicians throughout the season, the organization has a $3.5 million budget and relies on philanthropic support to cover 55% of annual operating expenses. Every year the orchestra hosts more than 150 concerts and activities throughout South Carolina, including education and family experiences, community engagement events, free performances, chamber music, main series concerts, and more.