GOLD2023

Houston Symphony Society

Houston, TX   |  www.houstonsymphony.org

Mission

The mission of the Houston Symphony is to inspire and engage a large and diverse audience in Greater Houston and beyond through exceptional orchestral and non-orchestral performances, educational programs, and community activities.  The Houston Symphony developed a strategic plan in pursuit of its vision to become America's most relevant and accessible top-ten orchestra by 2025. We continue to work towards the embodiment of our vision, outlined in Vision 2025.  The Houston Symphony will be more relevant - serving members of our community with meaningful music and programs that improve the quality of life in Greater Houston. The Houston Symphony will be more accessible - offering performances, educational programs and community engagement activities that are available to all, regardless of financial or geographic circumstances. The Houston Symphony will be a top-ten orchestra, defined by artistic, administrative, and organizational excellence and integral to the advancement of Houston's national and international cultural reputation.

Ruling year info

1941

Executive Director/CEO

Mr. John Mangum

Main address

615 Louisiana Street Suite 102

Houston, TX 77002 USA

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Formerly known as

Houston Symphony Association

EIN

74-1157373

NTEE code info

Music (A68)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Community-Embedded Musicians Program

Now in its seventh year, our Community-Embedded Musicians initiative, which serves over 16,000 people annually, continues to expand on our ability to create meaningful, personal relationships with people throughout our community. The first program of its kind for a 52-week full-time orchestra, the CEM initiative expands our Education and Community Engagement team to include two full-time teaching artists who spend 80% of their working hours engaged in 800 education and community activities in schools, neighborhood centers, hospitals and other venues throughout Greater Houston. In addition to their work as teaching artists and musical ambassadors, CEMs have performance opportunities with the orchestra over the course of a season, including Student Concerts, where they are often familiar faces to children who have met them during pre-concert visits to their schools.

Population(s) Served
Non-adult children
Economically disadvantaged people
Adults
Children and youth

This program features a series of concerts for students in lower elementary (grades 2-3), upper elementary (grades 4-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12) that are designed to spark students' imagination and provide motivation to learn and become engaged with playing a musical instrument. Each concert utilizes content from grade-level Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) requirements to help students grasp a deeper understanding of their core educational subjects, while also relating TEKS-aligned curriculum to music education.

Population(s) Served
Non-adult children
Adults
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people

A summer tradition, the Houston Symphony’s Neighborhood Concerts provide free, family-oriented concerts in churches, schools, and community centers across Greater Houston. For many, this annual concert series offers live classical music performances to audiences that may not have had a chance to experience them before.

Population(s) Served
Families
Adults
Non-adult children
Economically disadvantaged people

The Houston Symphony’s ENGIE Community Connections program offers Symphony musicians opportunities to volunteer their time to perform and serve the community in a wide variety of venues outside of Jones Hall. At over 200 concerts and demonstrations, in informal and intimate settings, Houstonians experience firsthand how musicians interact with each other and with the music they play. Musicians also interact with their audiences, answering questions about the music, their instruments, and life in the orchestra. Eighty percent of the orchestra—70 musicians—participate in the program, a high rate of participation for a major orchestra.

Population(s) Served
Families
Economically disadvantaged people
Adults

We continued to serve our community by offering the most free and low-cost performances (52) of any area arts organization. These concerts, which take place at venues throughout the Greater Houston area, traditionally serve more than 200,000 including more than 94,000 children. Our Community Concerts, which include performances at Jones Hall, Miller Outdoor Theatre, and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion allow the Symphony to provide access to individuals from across Greater Houston regardless of geographic or socioeconomic barriers.

Population(s) Served
Families
Economically disadvantaged people

Where we work

Awards

Best Opera Recording 2018

Grammy Awards

Affiliations & memberships

League of American Orchestras 1962

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The Houston Symphony's Strategic Plan, Vision 2025, which was unanimously approved in December 2014, is to be America's most relevant and accessible top-ten orchestra in 2025. We endeavor to be a symphony that welcomes and encourages people to learn more about music and engage with music in different ways. Our concerts will matter more to more people. We will offer a wide variety of musical styles, concert programs, educational offerings and community engagement activities. The Houston Symphony will be financially and geographically accessible. Our concerts and programs will be available for everyone, regardless of economic means or location. We will be one of America's top-ten orchestras, measured by artistic and organizational benchmarks of excellence, as well as by our local, national and international reputation. Achieving this vision will ensure that we are an invaluable cultural resource to Greater Houston and an artistic ambassador for our city throughout the nation and the world.

The Houston Symphony plans to implement the following strategies to achieve Vision 2025.

Institutional Strategy 1: Strengthen artistic, staff and board quality

Institutional Strategy 2: Improve the quality of education in Greater Houston through the arts

Institutional Strategy 3: Grow our reach, relevance and profile in Greater Houston and beyond

Institutional Strategy 4: Secure a large, engaged and loyal audience

Institutional Strategy 5: Implement a strong and sustainable financial structure

Institutional Strategy 6: Secure and improved performance space solution that facilitates transformational artistic, programmatic and financial growth

Excellence: We commit to the highest level of artistic, administrative, board and volunteer quality and performance, as reflected in our programs and concerts.

Community Engagement: We foster meaningful, respectful and collaborative relationships with our patrons and community members from all walks of life in our large, diverse city.

Education: We provide learning opportunities for listeners and students of all ages throughout our community.

Innovation/Entrepreneurial Spirit: We are the first to pioneer and implement new and creative ideas in our work, both on and off the stage.

Relevance: We provide musical performances and resources that enhance the lives of our stakeholders and community members.

Financial Sustainability: We responsibly invest in our present, dutifully plan for our future, and mindfully steward our community's investment in our institution.

Inclusivity: We intentionally embrace and promote diversity across all levels of the organization, including its people, its programs and its audience, to reflect our city, the most diverse in America.

Collaboration: We approach internal and external relationships with a spirit of respect and interconnectedness.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time

Financials

Houston Symphony Society
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Houston Symphony Society

Board of directors
as of 06/20/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Ms. Barbara Burger

Civic/Cultural Leader

Term: 2023 - 2026

Gary Beauchamp

Civic/Cultural Leader

Ralph Burch

ConocoPhillips

Barbara Burger

Chevron Technology Ventures

John Cater

Compass Bank

Janet Clark

Marathon Oil Corporation

Michael Clark

Power Diamond Tools, Inc.

Viviana Denechaud

Civic/Cultural Leader

Michael Doherty

Frost Bank

Julia Frankel

Civic/Cultural Leader

Ronald Franklin

McGuire Woods, LLP

Rochelle Levit

Clinical Psychology

Cora Sue Mach

Mach Industrial Group

Steven Mach

Mach Industrial Group

Paul Mann

Mann Eye Institute

Jay Marks

Civic/Cultural Leader

Mary Lynn Marks

Civic/Cultural Leader

Billy McCartney

Vitol Capital Management

Barbara McCelvey

Thomson-Barrow Corporation

Alexander McLanahan

Civic/Cultural Leader

Paul Morico

Baker Botts L.L.P.

David Pruner

Wood Mackenzie Ltd.

John Rydman

Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Manolo Sánchez

Fannie Mae

Helen Shaffer

Civic/Cultural Leader

Miles Smith

Jim Smith

Jim R. Smith & Co.

Mike Stude

Stude Investment Partners, LP

William Toomey

BB&T Bank

Bobby Tudor

Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Securities

Betty Tutor

Civic/Cultural Leader

Jesse Tutor

Accenture (Retired)

David Wuthrich

JPMorgan Chase

Marcia Backus

Occidental Petroleum Corporation

Brad Corson

ExxonMobil

Sippi Khurana

Texas A&M Health Science Center

Rodney Margolis

Margolis Interests

Robert Orr

Oliver Wyman

Michael Adler

BBVA

James Bell

Viking Cold Solutions Inc.

Nancy Shellton Bratic

Civic/Cultural Leader

Terry Brown

Civic/Cultural Leader

Dougal Cameron

Cameron Management

Evan Collins

Houston Methodist

Andrew Davis, Ph.D

Moores School of Music

Tracy Dieterich

USI Insurance Services

Jeffrey Firestone

Jeffrey B. Firestone Company

Eugene Fong

Energy Transfer

Evan Glick

Evan B. Glick, P.C.

Gary Hollingsworth

Brown & Assoc. Medical Labs

Brian James

Sapient Global Markets

I. Ray Kirk

Greater Houston Radiology Assoc.

Ulyesse LeGrange

Civic/Cultural Leader

Carlos López

Mexican Institute of Greater Houston

Michael Mann

Mann Eye Institute

Jack Matzer

Stage Stores

Jackie Wolens Mazow

Civic/Cultural Leader

Scott Nyquist

McKinsey & Company, Inc.

Edward Osterburg Jr.

Mayer Brown, LLP

Gloria Pryzant

Civic/Cultural Leader

Miwa Sakashita

Miwa Fashions

Michael Shannon

MEShannon & Associates

Robert Sloan, Ph.D.

Houston Baptist University

Ishwaria Subbiah

M.D. Anderson

L. Proctor (Terry) Thomas

Baker Botts L.L.P.

Shirley Toomim

Star Furniture (Retired)

Margaret Waisman

Affiliated Dermatologists of Houston

Fredric (Rick) Weber

Norton Rose Fulbright LLP

Ellen Yarrell

Attorney at Law

Janice Barrow

Thomson-Barrow Corporation

Devinder Bhatia

Southeast Texas Cardiovascular

Ed Schneider

Own Resources

Vicki West

Civic/Cultural Leader

S. Conrad Weil

Robert (Bob) Weiner

Civic/Cultural Leader

Steven Williams

United Airlines

Frank Wilson

Houston First Corporation

Robert Yekovich

Rice University

Bill Bullock

ConocoPhillips

Rodney Margolis

Margolis Interests

Mary Lynn Marks

Civic/Cultural Leader

Adam Dinitz

Houston Symphony

Mark Hughes

Houston Symphony

Mark Nuccio

Houston Symphony

Jonathan Ayre

Orrick

Virginia Clark

Civic/Cultural Leader

Aggie Foster

Civic/Cultural Leader

Marilyn Miles

Edro Investments

Shane Miller

Chevron

Leslie Nossaman

Nassaman LLP

S. Conrad Weil

Civic/Cultural Leader

Jessie Woods

Burrus Elementary

John Mangum

Houston Symphony

Andrés Orozco-Estrada

Houston Symphony

Kusum Patel

Soleo Health

Andrew Lee

Houston Methodist

David Krieger

Warburg Pincuss LLC

Anthony Speier

Kirkland & Ellis

Denise Davis

PNC Bank

Anthony Speier

Kirkland & Ellis

Denise Davis

PNC Bank

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/20/2023

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 06/17/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.