Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Feb 1927.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
76 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
140 people listed on the 990; $4.1M paid to officers and key staff.
Jeff Alexander’s $914K as President is at the 64th 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 | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riccardo Muti | — | $628,175 | $942,263 | $952,263 | $1,115,293 | $1,350,014 |
| Jeff Alexander | $914,323 | $898,151 | $741,177 | $529,441 | $513,036 | $611,532 |
| Robert Chen | $554,827 | $566,546 | $536,137 | $379,024 | $358,007 | $470,314 |
| Esteban Batallan Cons | — | $355,107 | $322,407 | $217,995 | — | — |
| Mark Almond | $343,234 | — | — | — | — | — |
| William Welter | $339,617 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stephen Williamson | $331,472 | $332,961 | $324,361 | $232,425 | $226,805 | $284,214 |
| Dale Hedding | $329,404 | $320,202 | $327,764 | $265,794 | $269,031 | $24,861 |
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 2Yes
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Enriches lives globally through world-class orchestral performances, community engagement initiatives, and intensive training programs for young professional musicians.
Questions for Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Your first name shows with your question. Chicago Symphony Orchestra answers here, for everyone.
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Chicago Symphony Orchestra Concerts
During the 2023/24 Season, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed over 130 live concerts. A highlight of the season was the appointment of the CSO's 11th music director in its 133-year history, Klaus Makela, who conducted concerts in April.
Symphony Center Presents Concerts
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association offers concerts by acclaimed guest artists in the fields of jazz, classical, world and folk music as part of the Symphony Center Presents series. The 23/24 Season featured over 30 concerts, including recital debuts by pianists Bruce Liu and Lucas and Arthur Jussen; three visiting orchestras, the…
Civic Orchestra of Chicago
The Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the CSO's prestigious training program for young professional musicians, presented seven programs in Orchestra Hall and community venues, including South Shore Cultural Center, Nicholas Senn High School, Kenwood Academy High School and Fourth Presbyterian Church.
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 | $8.7M | $9.3M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $401.4M | $453.5M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $73.0M | $71.2M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $515.2M | $581.8M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $172.4M | $161.5M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $342.8M | $420.3M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $2.1M | $325K | $1.4M | $354K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $40.0M | $34.4M | $3.5M | $2.1M |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $2.6M | $2.4M | $114K | $66K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $7.0M | $5.5M | $1.0M | $529K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $2.7M | $2.1M | $344K | $173K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $404K | $505K | −$102K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $171K | $171K | ||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $220K | $220K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $1.1M | $1.1M | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $8.0M | $6.9M | $1.1M | $15K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $3.8M | $3.3M | $241K | $227K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $846K | $482K | $232K | $132K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $531K | $302K | $145K | $83K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $2.9M | $2.4M | $263K | $298K |
| TravelLn 17 | $3.0M | $2.9M | $88K | $43K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $63K | $28K | $4K | $32K |
| InterestLn 20 | $5.6M | $5.6M | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $3.8M | $3.5M | $313K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $365K | $365K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $2.3M | $2.0M | $185K | $153K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $1.2M | $320K | $717K | $119K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $88.6M | $67.3M | $16.8M | $4.5M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $125.9M | $88.9M | $37.0M | $492.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 Viewing | $125.5M | $88.6M | $36.8M | $420.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $80.8M | $85.6M | −$4.8M | $342.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $102.4M | $75.1M | $27.4M | $330.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $109.9M | $47.2M | $62.7M | $348.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $73.8M | $76.3M | −$2.4M | $216.9M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $125,469,447 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 122 of 123 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $125,469,447 across 11 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $88,621,632 across 21 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $581,822,920 assets, 20 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $420,305,404 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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