Palm Beach Symphony’s 2025-2026 Season Impact Report Shows Strongest Financial Assets in Its 52-Year History

South Florida’s premier orchestra also increased educational outreach by more than 300%.

 

West Palm Beach, Fla. (September 11, 2026) – Palm Beach Symphony’s newly released 2025-2026 Season Impact Report showcases steady financial growth and an exponential increase in the orchestra’s educational outreach.

 

Through ticket sales, special events, investments, contributions and grants, the Symphony has demonstrated impressive year-over-year financial growth and stability, finishing the 2025-2026 season with more than $4.6 million in total assets, a significant increase from $3.9 million in 2025, $3.7 million in 2024 and $2.7 million in 2023.

 

With education central to Palm Beach Symphony’s mission, the organization made greater impact than ever before during the 2025-2026 school year. Coaching sessions with students led by Palm Beach Symphony Artists-in-Residence rose from 183 to 978, a 434% increase; contact hours with students went up from 363 to 1,592, a 338% increase; classes engaged went up from 64 to 588, an extraordinary 818% increase; and new programming included 10 side-by-side performances at school concerts in which the Symphony’s Artists-in-Residence played alongside their students. An additional six side-by-sides took place at various concerts and fundraising events throughout the season.

 

“The 2025-2026 season was defined by passion and power on the Masterworks stage, a milestone EMMY win, and a season of remarkable philanthropy,” said Palm Beach Symphony CEO David McClymont. “This was made possible with the support, generosity and advocacy of our Board of Directors, members, sponsors, donors, subscribers, staff, volunteers, music director, musicians, music educators and audience members. They all deserve a round of applause and standing ovation.”

 

Masterful Performances

Under the direction of Music Director Gerard Schwarz, the 2025-2026 Masterworks Concert Series at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach

brought the works of Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Strauss, Shostakovich and Holst to life, alongside the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Moravec's Lullaby, commissioned for Palm Beach Symphony by Ambassador Bonnie McElveen-Hunter. Also welcomed were guest artists Shelly Berg, Misha Dichter, Simon Trpceski and Emanuel Ax on piano and cellist Alisa Weilerstein, as well as Palm Beach Symphony’s principal second violinist Valentin Mansurov.

 

During the breathtaking season finale Masterworks concert in May, Young Singers of the Palm Beaches performed vocals to accompany Gustav Holst’s spellbinding cosmic journey, The Planets, Op. 32. The dynamic and inspiring community-based children's choir has been igniting the passion of children in grades 2-12 for two decades. Prior to concert, they headlined the Overture Series Pre-Concert Performance in the Kravis Center lobby.

 

And The EMMY Goes To…

Palm Beach Symphony won its very first EMMY Award at the 49th Annual Suncoast Regional EMMY® Awards Gala in 2025 for a televised concert in The Dale A. McNulty Children's Concert Series. Audio producer Carlos Lopez won in the category of Audio Live or Post Production for The Carnival of MORE Animals, conducted and arranged by Maestro Schwarz. It aired on South Florida PBS in March 2026 and is being broadcast nationally through ATP until July 31, 2027.

 

GOOOOOOOAL!

Palm Beach Symphony tapped into an entirely new audience when 58 of their musicians recorded an orchestral version of the Florida Panthers' goal song, Panthers Pulse, generating widespread media buzz.

 

Educational and Community Impact

For the second time in less than a year, Paul and Karen Levy matched up to $250,000 for the Symphony’s education programs, building on their first $500,000 challenge. This funded artists-in-residence, four orchestra programs, eight band programs, 978 coaching sessions, nine in-school concerts and 10 side-by-side performances at nine Title I schools in the Palm Beach County School District, as well as Masterworks and A TV Guide to the Orchestra concerts. 

 

“Working with the Artists-in-Residence from Palm Beach Symphony has had a tremendously

positive impact on both our students and our overall band program at Plumosa School of

the Arts. The experience of learning directly from professional musicians brings a level of

excitement, inspiration and credibility that truly resonates with middle school students,” said Brian Horan, band director at Plumosa School of the Arts.

 

Of the students who worked with artists-in-residence:

• 92% feel motivated to learn under Palm Beach Symphony’s musicians
• 91% learned what professional musicians sound like and how to emulate them in their school concert side-by-sides playing alongside the artists-in-residence
• 90% increased confidence when playing their instrument
• 84% feel more valued
• 81% feel more creative and connected to their classmates
• 76% communicate better and express their emotions through music

 

One student said, "My favorite part about working with the Artists-in-Residence is the deeper and more personal lessons you learn, which you cannot have in regular classes throughout the school day. It's very fun and entertaining."

 

During the Ninth Annual Jolly Symphony Fête at the Kravis Center in December 2025, Palm Beach Symphony presented 31 instruments, including 27 brand-new instruments, to students and educators from three Palm Beach County Title I schools that are part of the Paul & Karen Levy Residency Program. This donation included the milestone 1,000th instrument that has been gifted since the Symphony’s donation program began in 2016. The Instrument Donation Program gifted 244 instruments and 2,901 accessories to schools and young musicians this past year.

 

The Dale A. McNulty Children's Concert Series partnered with Young Artists from the Goldner Conservatory at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre on A TV Guide to the Orchestra. Performances were held at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center and Duncan Theatre. Three performances were school field trips for more than 3,000 students and one was a family show that was open to the public.

 

In the last decade, more than 100,000 people have been educated through Symphony programs; 18,109 students and lifelong learners have been reached; 21,290 people have been engaged through live activities; and 125 community outreaches have taken place. This past season alone, the Symphony’s musicians performed at the 22nd Annual “Lady in Red;” Brooke USA’s “An Evening of Divertimentos and Dressage,” where horses performed to live orchestral music; Earth Day celebration at the new Glazer Hall performing the U.S. premiere of the live score to the film “Ocean”; as well as at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium, where they conducted six STEAM sessions that demonstrated the interconnectivity between music and science; Norton Museum of Art; The Cove Club; Findlay Galleries; and Candlelight Concert Series at Palm Beach Yacht Club and The Boca Raton.

 

The Symphony hosts an instrument petting zoo at Kravis Center’s annual Block Party, so kids and the young at heart can pick up, touch and discover a variety of instruments that may spark an interest in lessons. Lifelong learners are drawn to various educational events held throughout the year. This included the Clef Notes Series at Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach and panel discussion, “Music, Maestros & Masters,” featuring acclaimed experts in music, science, health and athletics at Florida Atlantic University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on the Jupiter campus. The ongoing Symphony Sessions: Lunch & Learns, held the Thursday prior to each Masterworks Series Concert are hosted by Maestro Schwarz, an assistant conductor or musician. It gives attendees a glimpse behind the curtain of how the Symphony prepares for concerts, selects repertoire and more.

 

Record-Breaking Fundraising

Philanthropy powered every corner of the season's progress. Palm Beach Symphony’s 24th Annual Gala: A Standing Ovation, held at The Breakers Palm Beach, broke the previous fundraising record by raising $1.3 million in donations, $200,000 of this total a result of Park Foundation, Patrick and Milly Park’s matching challenge. The season closed with another $100,000 raised during the 7th Annual Swings for Strings Golf Invitational. The Symphony doesn’t only rely on these two signature events and their annual Holly Jolly Symphony Fête—which raised nearly $500,000 in 2025 including pledges—but also relies on the ongoing year-round support of their Board of Directors led by the brilliant Chair James R. Borynack and dedicated committees, as well as various membership levels, including the Impresario Society, Prelude Society and Young Friends of Palm Beach Symphony, which is designed for young professionals in their 20s, 30s and 40s, to fund programming and initiatives.

 

“[Palm Beach Symphony] is more to us than a world-class orchestra. What it really means is the culture it brings to our community. It reaches the classroom and young people who may be hearing an orchestra for the very first time,” said John T. Collins, Impresario Society member, who co-chaired the 24th Annual Gala with his wife Amy.

 

Onboarding

The Symphony welcomed Carol Baxter, Mary Demory and Percy Kavasmaneck, Ph.D. to its Board of Directors. Their diverse backgrounds, paired with their history of commitment to various community organizations, are bringing new and valuable skillsets to the board.

 

The complete 2025-2026 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, James R. Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui / FINDLAY Galleries, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation, Paul and Karen Levy, 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., with additional funding from Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, 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, Bank of America, Mrs. James N. Bay*, Carol and Harold Baxter/Baxter Family Foundation, 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, Broder Family Foundation, Thomas and Carol Bruce, Cindy and Jerome Canty, Amy and John T. Collins, The Colony Hotel, Suzanne Mott Dansby, The David Minkin Foundation, Susan Hurley Esson, Mary and Will Demory, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation,  Willard H. Dow and Kelly Winter, Dr. Richard and Diane Farber, Ray K. Farris, Teresa and John Ford, 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, Marsha and Carl Hewitt, John Herrick, Addison Hines Charitable Trust, Lisa and George Hines, Hospital for Special Surgery, Cathy Jacobson, Charles and Ann Johnson/The C and A Johnson Family Foundation, Joseph Kasputys and Vicki Van Mater, Dr. Aban and Dr. Percy Kavasmaneck, Elaine Kay, Michele and Howard Kessler, Leonard and Norma Klor?ne Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Patricia Lambrecht/The Lambrecht Family Foundation, E.M. Lynn Foundation, Maurice Moradof/Yafa Signed Jewels, Terrence Murray / The Murray Family Charitable Foundation, Donald C. McGraw Foundation, The Honorable Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, The McNulty Charitable Foundation, Tish Messinger, David Moscow, Norman and Susan Oblon, 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, Nancy and Dr. William Schneider, Seth Sprague Foundation, Robin B. Smith, Susan and Dom Telesco/The Telesco Foundation, Inc., Don and Mary Thompson, Jerome and Carol Trautschold, Travel Leaders Palm Beach and Explora Journeys, Sieglinde Wikstrom/The Wikstrom Foundation, and The Ann Eden Woodward Foundation/James and Judy Woods, Susan and Bob Wright.

*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. Under the baton of Music Director Gerard Schwarz, the orchestra is celebrated for delivering spirited performances by first-rate musicians and distinguished guest artists. Palm Beach Symphony was recognized by The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County with a 2020 Muse Award for Outstanding Community Engagement and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Suncoast Regional Emmy® Award for its production of The Carnival of MORE Animals, which is part of the Dale A. McNulty Children’s Concert Series. Palm Beach Symphony continues to expand its education and community outreach programs with children’s concerts, student coaching sessions, masterclasses, instrument donations and free public concerts that have reached more than 100,000 students in recent years. For more information, visit palmbeachsymphony.org and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.