The Mason Symphony Orchestra pulled in $173,653 in revenue last year, nearly doubling the $108,650 it reported just two years earlier.
The City of Mason is betting on that momentum with a conditional pledge: an additional $10,000 toward the MSO's 2025-2026 season if the organization meets community fundraising goals, according to the orchestra's website.
The city already serves as the MSO's top-tier Diamond Baton Season Presenter sponsor at the $40,000-plus level, according to the orchestra's corporate sponsorship page. Additional sponsors include Antonio Violins and Ukes and Coordinated Financial Planning at the $2,500-plus level, and the Ohio Arts Council.
"The city doesn't own the symphony — we're a partner," council member Joy Bennett wrote in her October 2025 Arts and Culture Committee report, describing the relationship between Mason and the MSO.
Founded in 2021 by volunteer musicians, the MSO earned federal tax-exempt status in September 2022 and has grown under Music Director Dr. Lucy Ginther. Board chairman James Streckfuss leads a team of volunteer officers including treasurer Swati Parikh and marketing director Martha Dennemann. Contributions made up nearly 68 percent of fiscal year 2025 revenue, according to the organization's IRS filings.
The orchestra's programming reaches well beyond the concert hall. In May, the MSO performed Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" for Mason Elementary third graders, with Mason High School graduate Cuong Diep as viola soloist. Dr. Ginther said in a May Mason City Schools news release that she was "impressed by how well prepared the students were to take full advantage of the musical opportunity."
The MSO also awarded its 2026 Stuart Horrell Memorial Scholarship to 15-year-old pianist Langston Humphrey, who performed Haydn's Piano Concerto in D Major with the orchestra in April. The prize: $500 and a solo performance slot.
The marquee event on the horizon is Violins of Hope, a two-week residency scheduled for March 1 through March 14, 2027. The program will bring 75 violins, two violas and a cello to Mason. Each instrument is a Holocaust-era piece restored by Israeli violin-makers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein. Previous Violins of Hope residencies have been hosted by Cleveland, Chicago, and Milwaukee.
Residents looking to support the MSO can attend an ice cream social fundraiser at Jeni's Ice Creams, 5200 District Park Drive, Suite G107, at The District at Deerfield. The MSO's website lists the event for Thursday, July 23, from 4 to 7 p.m., with 25 percent of purchases benefiting the orchestra. Residents can also join the "100 for $100 Club," which earns recognition in every concert program throughout the season.
Upcoming
- Thursday, July 23 — MSO ice cream social fundraiser, Jeni's Ice Creams, The District at Deerfield, 4-7 p.m.
- March 1-14, 2027 — Violins of Hope residency in Mason
