RPO's 85th Anniversary Fundraising Challenge Exceeds its Goal

Rochester, NY – At yesterday’s Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Annual Meeting, President & CEO Charles Owens announced that the RPO 85th Anniversary Fund – which last October offered a $285,000 matching challenge gift for new and increased donations to this season’s RPO Annual Campaign – has exceeded its goal.  As of December 31, 2007, the 85th Anniversary Fund received nearly $292,000.  The Fund matched every new or increased contribution, dollar for dollar in order to help reach the RPO’s $2.4 million Annual Campaign goal.

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Annual Campaign is supported by donations, large and small, from the Rochester community.  Since 1922, annual charitable contributions have provided the foundation for the RPO’s deep and enduring commitment to serving the region through a variety of programs.  Thanks to its education and outreach programs, nearly one half of the children and adults who experience the RPO attend free of charge.  The depth and breadth of these programs are made possible through generous donor support of the Annual Campaign. 

Celebrating its 85th season in 2007-08, the RPO inspires and enriches the community through the art of music.  The Orchestra is passionately dedicated to outstanding musical performance at the highest artistic levels, and has a unique tradition of musical versatility, commitment to music education in the broadest sense and a deep and enduring engagement with the community.  The RPO has been honored with the New York State Governor’s Arts Award and two recent ASCAP awards for adventurous programming. 

RPO performances are made possible in part with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; the State of New York; Monroe County; and the City of Rochester.