Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jan 1920.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
82 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
53 people listed on the 990; $4.7M paid to officers and key staff.
Chad Smith’s $1.3M as President & Chief Executive Officer is at the 77th percentile of top reported officer pay among 53 $100M+ arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gail Samuel | — | $1,706,083 | $941,104 | $407,197 | — | — |
| Chad Smith | $1,318,099 | $368,806 | — | — | — | — |
| Mark Volpe | — | — | $432,000 | $954,285 | — | $996,978 |
| Mark Volpe Until 06-2021 | — | — | — | — | $842,330 | — |
| Tamara Smirnova | $594,215 | — | — | — | — | $290,900 |
| Jeffrey Dunn | — | $561,491 | — | — | — | — |
| Maureen Flores | $518,514 | $410,826 | $376,853 | — | — | — |
| Alexander Velinzon | $467,278 | $333,147 | $308,852 | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Performs world-class orchestral music and provides high-level music education and training programs at Symphony Hall and Tanglewood.
Questions for Boston Symphony Orchestra INC
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Orchestral Music Programs
Internationally recognized as one of the finest orchestras, its scope of activities makes it one of the world's busiest orchestral organizations. Within the U.S., it is the fourth-largest performing arts institution.
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.
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…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $51.1M | $41.4M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $502.0M | $567.5M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $65.1M | $65.3M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $680.3M | $737.7M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $61.9M | $35.9M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $618.4M | $701.8M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $0 | $0 | ||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $0 | $0 | ||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $0 | $0 | ||
| Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4 | $0 | $0 | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $2.0M | $1.4M | $494K | $156K |
| Pay of disqualified personsLn 6 | $109K | $0 | $0 | $109K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $53.0M | $44.5M | $4.2M | $4.3M |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $3.7M | $3.1M | $344K | $210K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $5.3M | $4.1M | $659K | $516K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $3.8M | $3.1M | $436K | $334K |
| Management feesLn 11a | $314K | $134K | $138K | $42K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $140K | $3K | $130K | $7K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $156K | $0 | $156K | $0 |
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $100K | $0 | $0 | $100K |
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $377K | $377K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $1.7M | $1.7M | $0 | $0 |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $20.0M | $18.1M | $1.3M | $598K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $3.9M | $3.8M | $14K | $20K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $2.0M | $761K | $952K | $273K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $2.8M | $251K | $2.5M | $29K |
| RoyaltiesLn 15 | $264K | $264K | $0 | $0 |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $9.8M | $9.0M | $596K | $272K |
| TravelLn 17 | $5.1M | $4.7M | $119K | $271K |
| Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $52K | $34K | $6K | $12K |
| InterestLn 20 | $163K | $8K | $155K | $0 |
| Payments to affiliatesLn 21 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $4.7M | $4.0M | $614K | $138K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $866K | $0 | $866K | $0 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $5.2M | $4.8M | $58K | $312K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $2.4M | $1.1M | $1.3M | $65K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $127.9M | $104.7M | $15.1M | $8.2M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | $117.1M | $123.7M | −$6.6M | $618.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $93.2M | $110.6M | −$17.4M | $587.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $116.0M | $98.6M | $17.5M | $581.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $89.9M | $64.0M | $25.9M | $661.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $92.5M | $82.8M | $9.7M | $535.0M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $155,422,276 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 42 of 42 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $155,422,276 across 16 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $127,925,000 across 31 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $737,735,787 assets, 23 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $701,798,078 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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