Palm Beach Symphony Reflects on Record-Setting 2024-2025 Season

Palm Beach Symphony Reflects on Record-Setting 2024-2025 Season

South Florida’s premier orchestra releases annual Impact Report

 

West Palm Beach, Florida (September 25, 2025) – Palm Beach Symphony’s newly released 2024-2025 Season Impact Report highlights the orchestra’s extraordinary commitment to artistic excellence, community involvement and music education.

 

“As South Florida’s premier orchestra, we are immensely proud of our successes and grateful for the support we receive from our Board of Directors, subscribers, donors, patrons, community partners and all who attend our performances and special events,” said Palm Beach Symphony CEO David McClymont. “They enable us to fulfill our mission to engage, educate and entertain the Palm Beach County community through the transformative power of classical music.”

 

Masterful Performances

Under the direction of Music Director Gerard Schwarz, the record-breaking 2024-2025 Masterworks Series at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts drew star virtuosos from across the world including cellist Julian Schwarz; violinists Leonidas Kavakos and Gil Shaham; and pianists Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Garrick Ohlsson, Anne-Marie McDermott and Kevin Kenner. These performances attracted a record-setting audience and included the Symphony’s first-ever sold-out show and a 10.8% increase in ticket sales over the previous year’s historic results.

 

The extra-long season concluded with the debut of a bonus seventh Masterworks concert, “The Encore.” The evening opened with a special community Side-by-Side performance of Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture that united 181 instrumentalists from across Florida including 73 Symphony musicians and 108 community members ranging in age from 11 to 81 representing 19 K-12 schools, seven colleges and more than two dozen local ensembles. The Masterworks concerts were underwritten by the Leonard and Norma Klorfine Foundation; Patricia Lambrecht / The Lambrecht Family Foundation; Impresario Society; Thomas Harvey and Cathleen Black; and Park Foundation, Patrick and Milly Park, and co-sponsored by Ari Rifkin/The Len-Ari Foundation and The Honorable Ronald A Rosenfeld.

 

The 2024-2025 season marked the return of Symphony Sessions: Lunch & Learns, held the Thursday prior to each Masterworks Concert and hosted by Maestro Schwarz, an assistant conductor or principal musician. While dining on a gourmet multi-course lunch, attendees are enlightened by insightful history lessons about the music to be performed during the upcoming concert.

 

As Seen on TV

From the Dale A. McNulty Children’s Concert Series, the Emmy-nominated “Eudora's Fable: The Shoe Bird" was broadcast nationally, and “The Adventures of Peter and the Wolf” continues to air nationally through April 2026. South Florida PBS will air “The Carnival of MORE Animals” through March 2026, and it’ll be broadcast on 223 public TV stations nationally through July 2027. Additionally, the Symphony’s patriotic “The Sounds of Freedom” and joyous “The Sounds of the Season” aired locally in West Palm Beach in July and December, respectively, on CBS 12 News, CW 34 and My 15.

 

Educational and Community Impact

The Dale A. McNulty Children’s Concert Series continued to enchant young audiences with the world premiere of Cinderella and the Orchestra. Five live performances introduced nearly 3,400 Palm Beach County students to the symphonic experience and 500 public and private schools received a curriculum guide for the concert, reaching more than 200,000 students.

 

During the 2024-2025 season, 218 instruments and 1,231 accessories and pieces of equipment were gifted to students through the Symphony’s Instrument Donation Program. Since its inception in 2016, 898 instruments and 2,629 accessories have been presented to aspiring young musicians. This season’s education initiatives were further strengthened by a $250,000 matching grant from Paul and Karen Levy, which doubled the impact of community support and expanded the Symphony’s ability to reach more students across Palm Beach County.

 

Additionally, the Symphony’s education and community outreach programs with student coaching sessions and master classes, instrument donations and public concerts. Last school year, Palm Beach Symphony held 217 specialized instrumental coaching sessions and offered 477 instructional contact hours while also providing Artists-in-Residence at Highland Elementary School, Jeaga Middle School, Northmore Elementary School of the Arts, Palm Springs Middle School, U.B. Kinsey/Palmview Elementary School of the Arts, The Conservatory School @ North Palm Beach and Lake Worth High School. Students were also invited to open rehearsals with cellist Julian Schwarz, the Renaissance String Quartet and ahead of the community Side-by-Side concert, as well as two masterclasses with cellist Julian Schwarz and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott. Thanks to the generosity of donors, 875 complimentary tickets to all seven Masterworks Concerts were provided to students and educators. 

 

Palm Beach Symphony is a cornerstone of the community, offering intimate conversations, candlelight concerts, interactive performances and more. Symphony musicians have appeared at notable venues across South Florida, including the Cox Science Center and Aquarium, Community Church of Vero Beach, The Breakers Palm Beach, Jim Brandon Equestrian Center, The Wick Theatre & Museum Club, Palm Beach County Convention Center, The Benzaiten Center for the Creative Arts, Wellington National Golf Club, The Boca Raton, Palm Beach Yacht Club, and a variety of private residences.

 

New Additions

Palm Beach Symphony named Kewan Smith as Director of Development. Under his strategic leadership, the Symphony will continue to enhance donor engagement and community outreach. The Symphony also welcomed five distinguished members to its Board of Directors – Carol Baxter; Mary Demory; Percy Kavasmaneck, Ph.D.; Martha Rodriguez, M.D.; and Adam Wolek – all of whom bring valuable expertise, fresh perspectives and a passion for the performing arts.

 

The complete 2024-2025 Season Impact Report is available at PalmBeachSymphony.org under “About.”

 

Palm Beach Symphony’s education programs are made possible through support from The Paul and Sandra Goldner Conservatory of Music, Ray K. Farris, The McNulty Charitable Foundation, James R. Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui / FINDLAY Galleries, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation, Mr. William Robertson, Charles Frederick Schmidt, The Annette Urso Rickel Foundation, Edith Hall Friedheim/Eric Friedheim Foundation, PNC Foundation, The Walter & Adi Blum Foundation, Inc., James H. and Marta T. Batmasian Family Foundation Inc., Harry T. Mangurian, Jr. Foundation Inc., Komansky Foundation, Josephine DuPont Bayard, Yvonne S. Boice Trust and Al Zucaro, and Lois Pope, with additional funding from Cultural Council for Palm Beach County Arts and Cultural Education Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

Proud sponsors of Palm Beach Symphony include Cindy and Jerome Canty, Mrs. James N. Bay, Carol and Harold Baxter, C. Kenneth and Laura Baxter Foundation, Inc., Kathy Lee Bickham and John Bickham, Leslie Rogers Blum, Je?rey and Tina Bolton, James R. Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui / FINDLAY Galleries, Jerome J. Claeys, Thomas and Carol Bruce, Amy and John T. Collins, The Colony Hotel, Suzanne Mott Dansby, The David Minkin Foundation, Michelle DuBois and James Roiter, Ray K. Farris, Mary and Will Demory, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation,  Willard H. Dow and Kelly Winter, Dr. Richard and Diane Farber, Bill and Kem Frick/The Frick Foundation, Inc., Edith Hall Friedheim/Eric Friedheim Foundation, Gerry Gibian and Marjorie Yashar, Paul* and Sandra Goldner, Douglas and Jo Gressette, Irwin and Janet Gusman, Walter Harper, Thomas E. Harvey & Cathleen P. Black Foundation, Doris Hastings Foundation, Carol S. and Joseph Andrew Hays, John Herrick, Addison Hines Charitable Trust, Lisa and George Hines, HSS Florida, Charles and Ann Johnson/The C and A Johnson Family Foundation, Elaine Kay, Aban and Percy Kavasmaneck, Leonard and Norma Klor?ne Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Gary and Linda Lachman/The Lachman Family Foundation, Patricia Lambrecht/The Lambrecht Family Foundation, Donald C. McGraw Foundation, The Honorable Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, The McNulty Charitable Foundation, Tish Messinger, David Moscow, Palm Beach Design Masters, Park Foundation, Patrick and Milly Park, Nancy and Ellis J. Parker, III, PNC Private Bank, Lois Pope, Provident Jewelry, Ari Rifkin/The Len-Ari Foundation, Dr. Martha Rodriguez and Dr. Jesus Perez-Mendez, Annette Urso Rickel Foundation, Karen Hunt Rogers, The Honorable Ronald A. Rosenfeld, David Schafer, Seth Sprague Foundation, Robin B. Smith, Kimberly V. Strauss, Don and Mary Thompson, Jerome and Carol Trautschold, Sieglinde Wikstrom/The Wikstrom Foundation, and The Ann Eden Woodward Foundation/James and Judy Woods.

*Deceased

 

ABOUT PALM BEACH SYMPHONY

Palm Beach Symphony is South Florida’s premier orchestra known for its diverse repertoire and commitment to community. Founded in 1974, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization adheres to a mission of engaging, educating, and entertaining the greater community of the Palm Beaches through live performances of inspiring orchestral music. The orchestra is celebrated for delivering spirited performances by first-rate musicians and distinguished guest artists. Recognized by The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County with a 2020 Muse Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, Palm Beach Symphony continues to expand its education and community outreach programs with children’s concerts, student coaching sessions and master classes, instrument donations and free public concerts that have reached more than 90,000 students in recent years. For more information, visit www.palmbeachsymphony.org.

 

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