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Nonprofiteer
← BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC.

Totals

Total revenue
$155,422,276
Total expenses
$127,925,000
Contributions and grants received
$59,254,623
Grants paid
$0
Program service revenue
$51,015,218
Investment income
$38,141,082
Other revenue
$7,011,353
Total assets, end of year
$737,735,787
Total liabilities, end of year
$35,937,709
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$701,798,078
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$104,670,879
Management and general expenses
$15,092,109
Fundraising expenses
$8,162,012
Program service expenses (Part III)
$104,670,879

Program services were 81.8% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1a · Federated campaigns

    $0

  • 1b · Membership dues

    $0

  • 1c · Fundraising events

    $3,686,631

  • 1d · Related organizations

    $0

  • 1e · Government grants (contributions)

    $200,000

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $55,367,992

  • 1g · Noncash contributions included above

    $13,689,328

  • 2a · Program service revenue: Concerts & Tours

    total $49,986,448 · related or exempt $49,986,448 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 2b · Program service revenue: Education

    total $488,120 · related or exempt $488,120 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 2c · Program service revenue: Program advertising

    total $335,817 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $335,817 · excluded $0

  • 2d · Program service revenue: Electronic media

    total $204,833 · related or exempt $204,833 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 2f · All other program service revenue

    total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $4,923,955 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $1,199,933 · excluded $3,724,022

  • 4 · Income from investment of tax-exempt bond proceeds

    total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 5 · Royalties

    total $86,020 · related or exempt $86,020 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 6a · Gross rents

    real property $6,984,814 · personal property $41,178

  • 6b · Less rental expenses

    real property $1,733,510 · personal property $0

  • 6c · Rental income or loss

    real property $5,251,304 · personal property $41,178

  • 6d · Net rental income or loss

    total $5,292,482 · related or exempt $3,191,550 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $2,100,932

  • 7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

    securities $105,185,764 · other assets $0

  • 7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

    securities $71,968,637 · other assets $0

  • 7c · Gain or loss

    securities $33,217,127 · other assets $0

  • 7d · Net gain or loss

    total $33,217,127 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $1,834,296 · excluded $31,382,831

  • 8a · Fundraising events: gross income

    $580,909

  • 8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

    $3,686,631

  • 8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

    $1,222,777

  • 8c · Net income from fundraising events

    total -$641,868 · unrelated business $0 · excluded -$641,868

  • 9a · Gaming: gross income

    $0

  • 9b · Gaming: direct expenses

    $0

  • 9c · Net income from gaming

    total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 10a · Gross sales of inventory

    $1,105,815

  • 10b · Cost of goods sold

    $748,316

  • 10c · Net income from sales of inventory

    total $357,499 · related or exempt $15,583 · unrelated business $341,916 · excluded $0

  • 11a · Other revenue: Food & beverage

    total $1,335,902 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $1,335,902

  • 11b · Other revenue: Other income

    total $484,386 · related or exempt $484,386 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 11c · Other revenue: Parking

    total $96,932 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $96,932

  • 11d · All other revenue

    total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 11e · Other revenue, total

    $1,917,220

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

    total $0 · program services $0

  • 2 · Grants to domestic individuals

    total $0 · program services $0

  • 3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

    total $0 · program services $0

  • 4 · Benefits paid to or for members

    total $0 · program services $0

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $2,018,090 · program services $1,368,266 · management and general $494,277 · fundraising $155,547

  • 6 · Compensation of disqualified persons

    total $109,200 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $109,200

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $52,997,609 · program services $44,458,483 · management and general $4,217,562 · fundraising $4,321,564

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $3,695,392 · program services $3,141,635 · management and general $343,796 · fundraising $209,961

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $5,255,264 · program services $4,080,492 · management and general $659,059 · fundraising $515,713

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $3,825,084 · program services $3,054,697 · management and general $435,944 · fundraising $334,443

  • 11a · Fees: management

    total $314,323 · program services $133,996 · management and general $138,129 · fundraising $42,198

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $140,341 · program services $3,001 · management and general $130,340 · fundraising $7,000

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $155,925 · program services $0 · management and general $155,925 · fundraising $0

  • 11d · Fees: lobbying

    total $99,641 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $99,641

  • 11e · Fees: professional fundraising services

    total $377,045 · fundraising $377,045

  • 11f · Fees: investment management

    total $1,724,539 · program services $1,724,539 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $19,982,868 · program services $18,056,355 · management and general $1,328,809 · fundraising $597,704

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $3,850,712 · program services $3,816,049 · management and general $14,390 · fundraising $20,273

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $1,985,963 · program services $761,122 · management and general $951,515 · fundraising $273,326

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $2,825,423 · program services $250,615 · management and general $2,546,029 · fundraising $28,779

  • 15 · Royalties

    total $264,367 · program services $264,367 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $9,819,030 · program services $8,951,426 · management and general $596,018 · fundraising $271,586

  • 17 · Travel

    total $5,123,462 · program services $4,733,888 · management and general $118,892 · fundraising $270,682

  • 18 · Travel or entertainment for public officials

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $51,873 · program services $33,536 · management and general $6,277 · fundraising $12,060

  • 20 · Interest

    total $163,317 · program services $7,917 · management and general $155,400 · fundraising $0

  • 21 · Payments to affiliates

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $4,732,569 · program services $3,980,205 · management and general $614,050 · fundraising $138,314

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $866,442 · program services $0 · management and general $866,442 · fundraising $0

  • 24a · Other expenses: Concert production expense

    total $3,642,264 · program services $3,408,739 · management and general $58,054 · fundraising $175,471

  • 24b · Other expenses: Credit card fees

    total $1,524,795 · program services $1,387,993 · management and general $5 · fundraising $136,797

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $2,379,462 · program services $1,053,558 · management and general $1,261,196 · fundraising $64,708

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $39,043,116 · end of year $39,205,329

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $12,049,739 · end of year $2,203,085

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $8,772,685 · end of year $7,879,039

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $5,800,673 · end of year $7,495,325

  • 8 · Inventories for sale or use

    beginning of year $847,721 · end of year $676,639

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $3,302,735 · end of year $3,167,423

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $195,592,255

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $130,291,941

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $65,074,296 · end of year $65,300,314

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $59,837,406 · end of year $70,945,003

  • 12 · Investments: other securities

    beginning of year $442,204,458 · end of year $496,577,184

  • 14 · Intangible assets

    end of year $0

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $43,377,645 · end of year $44,286,446

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $13,262,422 · end of year $11,164,069

  • 18 · Grants payable

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 19 · Deferred revenue

    beginning of year $9,270,770 · end of year $9,566,265

  • 20 · Tax-exempt bond liabilities

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 21 · Escrow or custodial account liability

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 22 · Loans and payables to officers and key people

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 23 · Secured mortgages and notes payable

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 24 · Unsecured notes and loans payable

    beginning of year $10,000,000 · end of year $0

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $29,398,794 · end of year $15,207,375

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $109,089,206 · end of year $127,734,405

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $509,289,282 · end of year $574,063,673

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

The mission of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is to foster and maintain an organization dedicated to making music consonant with the highest aspirations of the musical art, creating performances and providing educational and training programs at the highest level of excellence.

Activities or mission (Part I)

The mission of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is to foster and maintain an organization dedicated to the making of music consonant with the highest aspirations of the musical art, creating performances and providing educational and training programs at the highest level of excellence.

  • Withheld by Nonprofiteer: this text may name a private individual.

    Expenses $84,109,344 · Revenue $50,556,863

  • Education and community programs are integral to the BSO's mission. In Boston:Over 3,700 high school students attended one of the BSO's High School Open Rehearsals, where students from grades 9 - 12 got a singular look at professional music-making as they observed the orchestra, conductor, and guest artists prepare for the evening's performance. Conductor-cams allow students to study the subtle communications that occur between the conductor and musicians, providing additional insight into the art-making process. Classes traveled to Symphony Hall from across Boston, the metropolitan area, western MA, CT, and NH. For three days in March, Symphony Hall was filled with approximately 7,000 2nd - 8th grade students from 59 schools. Many were studying music and 20% were either English Language or Special Education classes. Classes that came early or could stay after, met a musician and learned about their instrument and their life as a professional. The Youth Concerts offered a musical illustration of the various tools that composers use to create a symphony. Conductor Thomas Wilkins used musical selections by Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Margaret Bonds, Carlos Simon, and Grieg to explore melody, rhythm, harmony, and orchestration. The BSO's two Sensory Friendly Concerts created a welcoming space for almost 2,000 people with autism and their caretakers to enjoy the Boston Pops and Boston Symphony Orchestra by making multiple accommodations. These included halving the number of tickets sold to reduce over-stimulation and lowering ticket prices to remove financial barriers to participation. The BSO adjusts lighting and sound levels, creates a relaxed and inclusive atmosphere, offers tactile pre-concert activities, ASL interpretation, and has autism therapists on hand. The BSO began participating in Boston Family Days, a city-led effort to welcome Boston's students into its pre-eminent cultural institutions. A number of Boston students and their families were the BSO's guests for a Boston Pops Music of the Cosmos concert. The Pops performed music by Ravel, Holst and film scores accompanied by soaring video of space exploration, including footage of the International Space Station (ISS) with commentary by special guests George Takei from Star Trek and astronaut Suni Williams, who recently returned from the ISS. Families were invited to meet these two remarkable individuals after the concert. During FY25, the BSO tested new programming ideas that energized audiences and reached new communities. Its annual Concert for the City showcased numerous local musical ensembles, put the spotlight on Mayor Wu as the soloist in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, and introduced community members to the BSO's named conductors: Andris Nelsons, Keith Lockhart, Thomas Wilkins, and James Burton. The Harvard Crimson wrote that the concert proved "that the symphony exists for the people of Boston." The Boston Pops' first El Día de Muertos/Day of the Dead celebration featured East Boston musician Veronica Robles and her Mariachi Band and guitarist Zaira Meneses. In partnership with the Greater Roxbury Arts and Culture Center, the BSO gave a free all-Ellington concert at Mission Hill's Basilica, bringing music to a predominantly Haitian neighborhood. The setting was perfect for selections from Ellington's Sacred Songs, which re-imagined church oratorio drawing from jazz, gospel, the blues, and spirituals. To honor veterans, the Boston Pops gave a free Holiday Pops Military Preview performance for approximately 2,000 veterans, their families, and active service members, filling the Hall with joy and sending a powerful message of appreciation for these men and women. A small ensemble of musicians of the Boston Pops and singers from the Tanglewood Festival Chorus brought holiday cheer to patients at Franciscan's Children's hospital and to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. In Boston, approximately 20,000 children, high school and college students, adults under the age of 40, veterans, MA public school teachers, health care workers, and people who are eligible for public benefits attended concerts thanks to free and discounted tickets. In Tanglewood, over 6,000 people under age 18 attended BSO concerts on the lawn for free. Over 1,400 people enjoyed Tanglewood's Family Concert conducted by Thomas Wilkins and other free events such as Berkshire Night were available to the local community. Other opportunities for families included the live performances by the popular children's podcast Circle Round, new TLI programs for families, as well as outdoor games, crafts, and a chance to try out different instruments of the orchestra on weekends. This year, TLI started something new. Between September and June, each month a local organization that provides critical support to residents (e.g., food pantries, healthcare, affordable housing) was invited to attend a concert. Representatives from each group had time to talk about needs in the community and how they address them. The groups appreciated the chance to connect with TLI attendees and concertgoers appreciated hearing more directly about the issues many locals face. TLI arranged for the four German musicians that form the Arcis Saxophone Quartet to give a rousing performance at Lenox Memorial Middle School for students and members of the High School band. Although the students live in Lenox, most had never heard a professional ensemble play before. After the internationally acclaimed Akropolis Reed Quintet performed at TLI, they gave a performance and workshop at Drury High School. Sixty students were part of this special event that showcased the group's inventive approach to chamber music and captivated students and staff with their energy and artistry. The performance was followed by a hands-on workshop with Drury's band students where the students played alongside the ensemble. The Tanglewood Music Center continues to be a vital pre-professional milestone for the most talented young musicians from around the globe. With a 7% acceptance rate this year, fellows came from 17 countries and 26 states. These young musicians gave 30 concerts, mastering a wide range of repertoire and worked with Andris Nelsons, Dima Slobodeniouk, Thomas Ades, and Thomas Wilkins. The TMC's Festival of Contemporary Music crossed borders of time and space in a six-concert look at contemporary Mexican music curated by Gabriela Ortiz, Mexico's most prominent living composers.

    Expenses $4,438,443 · Revenue $488,120

  • The BSO's two main properties, Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, have long and significant histories and attract visitors from near and far. Symphony Hall's acoustic qualities have earned it a place among the top concert auditoriums in the world, a fact underscored by the Hall's 1999 designation as a National Historic Landmark. Symphony Hall resonates with more than a century of performances by key artists. It is also a key performance venue for a number of other ensembles and presenters, including the Handel and Haydn Society, the Celebrity Series of Boston, Boston Speakers Series, and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. The Hall seats approximately 2,600. Located in the Berkshire hills of Lenox, Massachusetts and established in 1936 by the BSO's Music Director Serge Koussevitzky, Tanglewood is a world-renowned summer music festival. Its performance venues-Koussevitzky Music Shed, Seiji Ozawa Concert Hall, and Linde Center-and 80+ ancillary buildings are located on 425 pastoral acres. Built in 1938, the Koussevitzky Music Shed is an opened-sided hall with over 5,000 seats; just under 13,000 can be accommodated on the surrounding lawn. Opened in 1994, Seiji Ozawa Hall is a brick and wood structure that provides a more intimate concert experience and is often used for performances by the Tanglewood Music Center. It seats approximately 1,000 audience members, in addition to potentially hundreds more on the lawn. When not being used by the orchestra, the BSO rents Symphony Hall to others including Celebrity Series, Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Speakers Series, to name a few. Local high schools and Berkshire Community College use the Koussevitzky Shed for graduations and community groups, including the Stockbridge Library and Austin Riggs use Tanglewood's Linde Center during the fall, winter, and spring.

    Expenses $16,111,055 · Revenue $3,191,541

  • The BSO's music is shared with several hundred thousand through recordings, television, radio and online broadcasts. Every Saturday evening, Classical Radio Boston (a subsidiary of GBH public broadcasting) broadcasts a BSO concert. These concerts are available to stream via the GBH website for a month after they are aired. During Tanglewood, CRB-Classical and WAMC Northeast Public Radio broadcast BSO Friday and Saturday evening performances, and Sunday afternoon concerts reaching audiences across seven mid-Atlantic and New England states. Additionally, the BSO released numerous CDs this year including a 19-CD box set of its award-winning Shostakovich cycle under Music Director Andris Nelsons, as well as Ravel: The Piano Concertos with pianist Seong-Jin Cho, Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos with Yo-Yo Ma, Shostakovich: The Piano Concertos with Yuja Wang, and Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony with Yuja Wang.

    Revenue $204,833

  • The BSO operated its Symphony Hall retail operations during concert days and its Tanglewood retail shops in summer 2025.

    Expenses $12,037 · Revenue $15,583

As filed on the 2024 return. A text marked withheld matched a screen for wording that may name a private individual, such as an honorific or "in memory of". Most of what it withholds names no one; it is withheld so that what does is never shown.

Listed in Part VII

  • Chad Smith

    President & Chief Executive Officer

    Total calculated
    $1,371,354
    From this org
    $1,318,099
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $53,255
    Hours/week
    50 + 1 related

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $1,097,476
    Bonus
    $210,000
    Other
    $10,623
    Deferred
    $2,588
    Nontaxable benefits
    $50,667
    Filer's total
    $1,371,354

  • Tamara Smirnova

    First Violin

    Total calculated
    $607,314
    From this org
    $594,215
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $13,099
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $192,535
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $401,680
    Deferred
    $0
    Nontaxable benefits
    $13,009
    Filer's total
    $607,224

  • Maureen Flores

    Chief Development Officer

    Total calculated
    $538,658
    From this org
    $518,514
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $20,144
    Hours/week
    0

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $194,756
    Bonus
    $75,000
    Other
    $248,758
    Deferred
    $5,525
    Nontaxable benefits
    $14,619
    Filer's total
    $538,658

  • Alexander Velinzon

    Associate Concertmaster

    Total calculated
    $518,232
    From this org
    $467,278
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $50,954
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $447,478
    Bonus
    $19,800
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $0
    Nontaxable benefits
    $50,954
    Filer's total
    $518,232

  • Timothy Genis

    Timpani

    Total calculated
    $419,187
    From this org
    $419,187
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $419,187
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $0
    Nontaxable benefits
    $0
    Filer's total
    $419,187

  • John A Ferrillo Jr

    Principal Oboe

    Total calculated
    $412,303
    From this org
    $377,859
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $34,444
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $377,859
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $0
    Nontaxable benefits
    $34,444
    Filer's total
    $412,303

  • Thomas Rolfs Jr

    Principal Trumpet

    Total calculated
    $404,809
    From this org
    $372,495
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $32,314
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $372,495
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $0
    Nontaxable benefits
    $32,314
    Filer's total
    $404,809

  • Paul Eric Krauss

    Chief Financial Officer, thru July 2025

    Total calculated
    $362,808
    From this org
    $314,556
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $48,252
    Hours/week
    50 + 1 related

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $311,547
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $3,009
    Deferred
    $9,517
    Nontaxable benefits
    $38,735
    Filer's total
    $362,808

  • Katherine Decelles

    Controller

    Total calculated
    $238,190
    From this org
    $218,873
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $19,317
    Hours/week
    40 + 1 related

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $217,805
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $1,067
    Deferred
    $6,371
    Nontaxable benefits
    $12,947
    Filer's total
    $238,190

  • Joseph Kamay

    Clerk

    Total calculated
    $100,160
    From this org
    $89,995
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $10,165
    Hours/week
    40 + 1 related

  • Noubar Afeyan

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • David Altshuler

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Holly Ambler

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Ted Berk

    Trustee, ex-officio

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • William N Booth

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Gregory E Bulger

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Ronald G Casty

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Susan Bredhoff Cohen

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Richard F Connolly Jr

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Angela Q Crispi

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • William Curry MD

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Lynn A Dale

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Phillip J Edmundson

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Thomas E Faust Jr

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Todd R Golub

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Reverend Dr Ray Hammond

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Nathan Hayward III

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Ricki Tigert Helfer

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Albert A Holman III

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Barbara W Hostetter

    Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • David C Howse

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Giselle J Joffre

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Stephen W Kidder

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Tom Kuo

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Jeffrey Leiden MD PhD

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • John M Loder

    Vice Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Nancy K Lubin

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Joshua A Lutzker

    Treasurer

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Pamela L Peedin

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • M Lee Pelton

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Steven R Perles

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Lina S Plantilla MD

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Andrew S Plump

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Sean C Rush

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Wendy Shattuck

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Nicole M Stata

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Theresa M Stone

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Caroline Taylor

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Dr Christoph Westphal

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Jenny Williams

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Joanna Wu - as of Oct 2024

    Trustee, ex-officio

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • D Brooks Zug

    Trustee

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Sok Cheng Soh

    Chief Financial Officer, beg July 2025

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    50 + 1 related

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Answered yes

  • 1a · First-class or charter travel
  • 1a · Housing allowance or residence for personal use
  • 1b · Written policy on the line-1a expenses
  • 2 · Substantiation required before reimbursing expenses
  • 3 · Compensation committee
  • 3 · Independent compensation consultant
  • 3 · Form 990 of other organizations
  • 3 · Written employment contract
  • 3 · Compensation survey or study
  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee
  • 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception
  • 9 · Followed the rebuttable-presumption procedure

Answered no

  • 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
  • 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
  • 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
  • 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
  • 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
  • 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings

The filer's explanations (Part III)

Schedule J, Part I, Line 1a
In connection with the business needs of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Inc. (the Orchestra) charter travel is used when transporting large number of personnel in connection with the Orchestra's touring. As a general rule, the BSO does not provide first class travel for employees. Housing for the President and CEO is provided during the summer for the convenience of the BSO in connection with the Orchestra's activities away from Boston at Tanglewood and is not considered taxable. The housing benefit of $28,000 is included in Schedule J, Part II, column D.
Schedule J, Part I, Line 4
Tamara Smirnova received $398,710 and Maureen Flores received $218,400 in severance in calendar year 2024.
Schedule J, Part I, Line 7
The amounts reported for the President and CEO on Schedule J, Part II, column B(ii) are fixed payments. Amounts reported for other individuals on Schedule J, Part II, column B(ii) include non-fixed payments representing performance based compensation.
Schedule J, Part I, Line 8
Compensation reported in Part VII, Section A paid to President and CEO Chad Smith was subject to the initial contract exception described in Regulations section 53.4958-4(a)(3). Nonetheless, the Orchestra followed the rebuttable presumption procedures described in Regulations section 53.4958(c).

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

Taxable family on this return

Schedule R Parts I, III and IV, as filed. These record ownership and control, not shared board members or money moved.

Related partnerships

Part III: related organizations taxable as a partnership, with the filer's share.

  • 263 HA Limited Partnership

    Excluded · Real Estate · MA · 99% owned · share of income $2,138,808 · share of assets $8,988,832

    Directly controlled by 263 Realty Corporation

Related corporations and trusts

Part IV: related organizations taxable as a corporation or trust.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2024
Filed
13 July 2026
IRS schema version
2024v5.0
Source object
202611959349301711

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