Select Page

Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Ways to Give

Ways to Give

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is a cultural cornerstone of Hampton Roads. We have served our community for nearly a century, and we are proud to call the Tidewater region home. We believe that music matters–and that everyone in our community deserves access to the very best in classical music and music education.

We rely on the support of friends like you to bring world-class music to your city, reach more than 45,000 children and lifelong learners each year through engaging and impactful educational programs. Ticket sales account for only one-third of the cost of our concert series and educational outreach programs, and our corporate sponsors and individual donors help us provide a full roster of free community performances at venues in everyone’s backyard.

You can join the Virginia Symphony Orchestra donor family and be a part of thousands of friends from across Hampton Roads who know that music makes a difference in our lives. Voice your support with a gift and help the VSO continue to inspire, educate, and connect audiences of all ages!

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra appreciates all tax-deductible gifts in support of our artistic and cultural mission to inspire, education, and connect audiences of all ages in Hampton Roads. 

 Want to make one gift and spread it into monthly installments? Become a VSO Champion today and get an additional benefit in recognition for your generosity. Your card will be charged on the 15th of each month, after the initial installment, and each January you will receive a summary of your previous calendar year donations.

 PLEASE NOTE: If you would like to give for a set period of time other than monthly or break up your gift into a series of limited installments, please call Annual Fund Manager Meredith Arndt at 757-213-1412 to set up your gift. For information about gifts of stock or other securities or for estate planning, please contact Vice President of Development Shannon Kelly at skelly@virginiasymphony.org or by phone at 757-213-1417.

 

Thank you for GIVING OUTSTANDING MUSIC AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO HAMPTON rOADS!
Corporate Support
Foundation and Government Support

Your gifts make a difference.

Make a Gift Online

If you’d prefer, you can give us a call at 757.213.1412 or mail your contribution to us at this address:

Virginia Symphony Orchestra
150 Boush Street, Suite 201
Norfolk, VA  23510

 VSO Tele-Fundraising: 757.213.1411

Questions and Donor Services: 757.213.1412 

Membership Benefits
VSO Complete Donor Listing

Vision Forward

Celebrating 100 years of community service and creativity, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra celebrates the largest campaign in its history – Vision Forward. Click here to learn more.

Sustainer Society

Looking for an easy way to make a difference all year long? Become a VSO Champion and you’ll help the VSO continue to inspire, educate, and connect audiences of all ages. And, you’ll gain access to special benefits –  to learn more click here!

Matching Gifts

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra gladly accepts gifts from matching gift programs from most companies in Hampton Roads. Increase your support of the VSO by checking with your human resource department about your company’s program.

For assistance, please contact Shannon Kelly, Vice President of Development, at 747-213-1417.

Click here to review a list of some local employees who offer matching gift opportunities.

Legacy Society

Planned giving strategies can help you build a meaningful legacy that will honor your lifelong love of music. The VSO Development staff would be honored to work with you and your financial advisor to find the right option for you. If you have generously named the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in your will or estate plans, we would like to have the opportunity to welcome you to our Legacy Society. Please contact Shannon Kelly, Vice President of Development, at 757-213-1417 for more information.

Gift of Securities

Please contact Sammy Serafine at Wells Fargo Advisors to make a gift of securities to the VSO.

Sammy Serafine
Wells Fargo Advisors
999 Waterside Drive Suite 1800
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone Number Direct: 757-640-5935

sammy.serafine@wellsfargoadvisors.com

DTC: 0141
Account: 80530500

Virginia Symphony Foundation 

The Virginia Symphony Foundation provides financial support to the Virginia Symphony Orchestra through investment of donors gifts to the VSF endowment fund.

To learn more about the Virginia Symphony Foundation, please click here.

To make a gift to VSF, please contact Shannon Kelly, Vice President of Development, at skelly@virginiasymphony.org or at 757-213-1417.

Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)

The CFC campaign runs from September 1 through December 15 each year.

If you are federal or military personnel, designate the Virginia Symphony as the beneficiary of your contribution by entering our five-digit code #46038 and the amount you wish to pledge on your CFC pledge form.

To determine which local campaign you belong to visit the Combined Federal Campaign website.

CHAMPIONS

2023-2024 SEASON

Virginia Symphony Champions support the VSO year-round with a monthly donation automatically charged to a credit card.  In gratitude for the support of our Champions, the Virginia Symphony is pleased to offer additional benefits.

*Subject to availability. Restrictions apply.
¹Email required.
These donor benefits are offered as of July 1, 2023. Additional benefits may be added throughout the season.

Want to Make a Donation, but Need More Flexibility?

Become a champion today!

IN ADDITION TO REGULARLY TIERED BENEFITS, All Sustainers receive:

 

  • Group recognition from the stage and individual recognition in a program book insert at the final Classics concert of the season
  • Special lapel pin (mailed at the beginning of the year) designating you as a member of the
    VSO Champions.

Donor Benefits

Gifts made to the Virginia Symphony Orchestra throughout the year determine your donor level. Donor listings–including those in our Program Books—reflect your overall support through gifts made directly to the Annual Fund or gifts made for a specific purpose, including our education and community engagement programs. Also included in your personal listing are any matching gifts received from your employer.

Benefits are based on cumulative giving from the 2023-2024 season or giving during 2024-2025, whichever amount is higher. If you would like to know your current donor level, please call Meredith Arndt, Annual Fund Manager, at 757.213.1412.

Donate Now
Friends Circle: Up to $249

Up to $249

  • Ten (10) e-Newsletters with exclusive content for VSO supporters.
  • Recognition as a VSO supporter in the VSO’s online Donor Register.
  • Pre-sale access to purchase tickets to VSO performances before the general public.
Orchestra Circle: $250-$499

$250–$499

Previous level’s benefits, plus:

  • One pass to an Open Rehearsal during the 2024-25 season.
  • Recognition in all VSO program books for the 2024-25 season.
  • A special VSO tote bag.
Concertmaster Circle: $500-$999

$500–$999

Previous level’s benefits, plus:

  • Access to VSO’s exclusive Spotify channel & Memberful platform.
Soloist Circle: $1,000-$1,999

$1,000–$1,999

Previous level’s benefits, plus:

  • Invitations to receptions at select VSO concerts.
  • Supporter recognition in pre-concert slides.
Conductor’s Circle: $2,000-$2,999

$2,000–$2,999

Previous level’s benefits, plus:

  • Invitation to the VSO Chamber Music Party.
Treble Society: $3,000-$4,999

$3,000–$4,999

Previous level’s benefits, plus:

  • Two (2) tickets to the annual Treble Society Dinner.
Symphony Society: $5,000-$9,999

$5,000–$9,999

Previous level’s benefits, plus:

  • One (1) ticket to sit onstage during one Open Rehearsal during the 2024-2025 season, as available.
  • Exclusive pre-sale access to purchase subscriptions.
JoAnn Falletta Society: $10,000-$14,999

$10,000–$14,999

Previous level’s benefits, plus:

  • Two (2) tickets to sit onstage during two Open Rehearsals during the 2024-2025 season, as available.
  • Access to tickets to our invite-only Falletta Society Dinner.
  • Gifts of $10,000 or more are meaningful statements of support for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. To learn more about a customized package of curated experiences, please call Shannon Kelly, Vice President of Development, at 757-213-1417 or email at skelly@virginiasymphony.org.
Crescendo Society: $15,000-$24,999

$15,000–$24,999

Previous level’s benefits, plus:

  • Opportunity to meet guest artists and collaborators before or after performances, as available.
  • Exclusive opportunity to meet Music Director Eric Jacobsen before or after a performance, as available.
  • Gifts of $15,000 or more are meaningful statements of support for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. To learn more about a customized package of curated experiences, please call Shannon Kelly, Vice President of Development, at 757-213-1417 or email at skelly@virginiasymphony.org.
Stradivarius Society: $25,000 and above

$25,000 and above

Previous level’s benefits, plus:

  • Exclusive opportunity to have Music Director Eric Jacobsen dine with you at a location of your choosing, as available.
  • Gifts of $25,000 or more are meaningful statements of support for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. To learn more about a customized package of curated experiences, please call Shannon Kelly, Vice President of Development, at 757-213-1417 or email at skelly@virginiasymphony.org.

*On-stage seating is assigned on a first-come, first served basis.
**Subject to availability.
†Ticket purchase required.

These donor benefits are offered as of July 1, 2024. Additional benefits may be added throughout the season.

  • Seven Venues
  • WHRO
  • PBMares
  • Norfolk Southern
  • Wilcox Savage
  • Sentara
  • Wilbanks Smith and Thomas
  • Birdsong Peanuts
  • KPMG
  • Cape Henry Collegiate
  • Audacy
  • TowneBank
  • Arts Alliance
  • Carl's Wash
  • Truist
  • NEA
  • Riverside Health
  • VSSGW
  • Norfolk Collegiate
  • Ferguson Center for the Arts
  • CBN
  • New Leaf
  • Virginia Symphony League
  • Bank of America
  • Trust and Wealth Management
  • Regent University
  • The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
  • PNC Bank
  • Breeden
  • Rutter Family Art Foundation

Emmanual Losa

Emmanuel Losa

Cello

Born in 1998, Emmanuel Losa grew up in Marietta, Georgia to a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother. Starting his cello studies at the age of 12, he began to have an affinity for the orchestral world and later studying with the esteemed cellists of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, his primary instructor was Joel Dallow; in addition, studying with Dona Vellek (Assistant Principal Cello Emeritus) and Karen Freer (Assistant Principal Cello).

Emmanuel heavily enjoys studying various pieces of solo, chamber, and orchestral music, spending his summers at various festivals such as Bowdoin International Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and Aspen Music Festival to name a few.

A student of Alan Stepansky at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Emmanuel is pursuing an undergraduate cello performance degree in orchestral performance. He continues his studies with a focus on winning a position with a major orchestra.

Zacherie Small

Zacherie Small

Double Bass

After migrating from his native island of Barbados, Zacherie Small began his Double Bass studies the age of 19 with Jonathan Dadurka at Miami-Dade College where he graduated with a Associate of Arts in Music. Afterwards, he went on to study with Luis Gomez-Imbert at Florida International University where he now holds a Bachelor of Music in Double Bass Performance; Cum Laude, and a Masters of Music in Double Bass Performance. Also, recently graduated with his second Masters from Temple University studying with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra such as Nathaniel West, Joseph Conyers, and Robert Kesselman.

Small has performed with various orchestras. He is a member of the Miami Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Eduardo Marturet. He was also the Principal Double Bass of the Miami Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Jorge Vazquez. Small periodically performs with the Colour of Music Festival Orchestra.

Small has attended the Miami Summer Music Festival at Barry University for 3 years. During the festival, he has performed in many concerts with various conductors like Michael Rossi, Yuriy Bekker, Joel Smirnoff, David Efron, Stephanie Rhodes, and Steve Gruman. Also, participated in the Philadelphia International Music Festival to study with Nathaniel West and under the baton of Kensho Watanabe.

As well as being a performer, Small is the secondary music director South-Dade Middle School and does masterclasses at various schools in Miami, FL. He is also a teacher for the Artist of the Miami Music Project where he guides children in troubled neighborhoods to bring about social change, cultivate lessons, and run ensembles.

Tyler McKisson

Tyler McKisson

viola

Tyler McKisson is a 26-year-oldorchestral and freelance violist originally from Arvada, Colorado. He has recently received an Artist Diploma from The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a Diversity Fellow where he regularly performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. McKisson received a Master’s degree in viola performance at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Bachelor’s degree in Viola Performance at the University of Northern Colorado with honors. McKisson’s musical career started at age ten when he joined his school’s string orchestra program and at age fourteen, he began his studies under his first private instructor, Brian Cook. McKisson has also studied under Christopher Luther, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Erika Eckert, and Catharine Carroll Lees. He has played with several American orchestras including the Cheyenne Symphony with tenure, Atlanta Symphony, Kentucky Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Aspen Conducting Academy.

Camille Jones

Camille Jones

violin

A passionate collaborator and advocate for diversity in the arts, Camille has worked with various festival orchestras and chamber groups, including the National Orchestral Institute and Festival (NOI + F), Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Next Festival of Emerging Artists.

As a 2019 Sphinx Orchestral Futurist Fellow, she has helped commission works and curate a professional development workshop for K-12 students in Prince George’s County, Maryland.This project piloted what is now the K12 New Music Initiative, a commissioning project to expand the repertoire of K12 orchestras with music by BIPOC composers. In the Fall of 2018, she curated Voices Unheard, a concert series at UMD that celebrated works by women composers and composers of color. In addition, she had the opportunity to collaborate with esteemed cello professor Anthony Elliott for a concert series at the Kerrytown Concerthouse titled Passing the Torch in 2021 and 2022. Camille is establishing herself as a freelance artist in the Michigan area as well, having performed for singer Michael Bublé, rapper Big Sean and Darren Criss. She has also served as a teaching artist for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensembles as well as the Sphinx Overture program in Detroit.

Camille received her B.M. in Violin Performance at the University of Maryland, College Park and a M.M. in Violin Performance from the University of Michigan, having studied under Danielle Belen.

Daphine Henderson

Daphine Henderson

bass

Daphine Henderson, a double bassist and vocalist in the DC metro area, completed her Master’s Degree in Double Bass Performance at the University of Maryland College Park in Spring 2023, where she also received two Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Performance with concentrations in Double Bass and Soprano Voice in Spring ’20. She was the first black woman to earn a Master’s Degree in Double Bass Performance at University of Maryland and the third black woman to receive a graduate degree in strings. Teaching herself the double bass at age 12, Daphine became extremely involved in music through her high school career, ranging from performing with the Maryland Senior All State Orchestra to being the drum major of her high school marching band. She is actively involved in the University of Maryland School of Music community, performing with numerous classical and wind ensembles.

Throughout her time at UMD, Daphine served as one of the ensemble assistants for the UMD Treble Choir, where she actively engaged with and lead her section. She sat as one of the student chairs and founding members of the School of Music’s IDEA Committee, which focuses on bringing diversity, accessibility, and inclusive engagement to the music community at College Park. Daphine is also a founding member of the PAGE (Project for All Gender Equality) for Bassists, where she spoke on a panel in the 2019 and 2021 International Society of Bassists conventions. Daphine teaches in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, Maryland, and is an active strings coach for the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra. Additionally, she teaches all string instruments, piano, and voice at Crescendo Studios in Falls Church, Virginia.

Daphine is taking steps in her musical career to create an impact and be an inspiration for younger musicians of color that would otherwise not have ample resources and opportunities to pursue their passion. Following the completion of her graduate degree, Daphine plans to continue establishing herself as an advocate through her performance and an arts administrator for underserved and minority musicians, while continuing to inspire others through her love for music.

Avery Robinson

Omari Imhotep Adbdul-Alim

Violin

Omari Imhotep Abdul-Alim is an accomplished violinist and educator with a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is a dedicated instructor with extensive experience teaching violin to a diverse range of students, from young children to adults, in both individual and group settings.

Omari has also contributed significantly as a violin instructor and orchestral strings coach at the Academy for Discovery at Lakewood, as a member of VSO's first inaugural class of African American Fellowship.

In addition to his teaching accomplishments, Omari has an extensive performance background. He has been a substitute with VSO, New World Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra, and Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera. For the last year Omari has been an active performer in the San Diego area, playing with Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra, Poway Symphony Orchestra, the City Ballet of San Diego, La Jolla Symphony Orchestra and as resident violinist at First Lutheran Church of San Diego.

Omari is committed to enriching our musical education and performance landscape through his expertise and passion for music.

Avery Robinson

Avery Robinson

Cello

Avery Robinson grew up in Western Massachusetts where he was influenced by his parents’ love for jazz music. At the age of 10 he started playing piano and began learning bass when he was 12 years old. As a young musician, Avery’s passion for jazz persisted however, as he became exposed to the wonderful sounds of the symphony, his musical passion grew to include a second genre: classical music. After joining his high school orchestra, his career path was set.

Avery has studied at many top music schools such as the Eastman School of Music, The Hartt School of Music, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and has graduated with honors. His teachers include Rachel Calin, Albert Laszlo, and Robert Black. Avery has been a member of the Kentucky Symphony, and most recently, the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked as a substitute for the Amarillo Symphony and the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. In addition to his orchestral career, Avery is also an accomplished recitalist, having performed many solo and chamber recitals at various venues such as the Chautauqua Institution and at the “Classical Revolution” Series in Cincinnati. His love for performing with others shows in his expressive and sometimes fervent style of playing.

Avery has other passions in addition to music. Firstly, he is a huge art and history buff and loves to frequent museums and galleries whenever he can. He is also a lover of sports and an avid golfer.