The Oregon Symphony has the distinction of being the oldest American orchestra west of the Mississippi, as well as one of the Murdock Trust’s very first grantees 42 years ago. Our partnership began with a grant to send the Symphony’s orchestra into schools in the Portland-Metro area to perform for nearly 42,000 students. Our most recent grant supported a more high-tech initiative to modernize the Symphony’s website and implement digital ticket scanners at its concert hall.
By updating its website and ticketing system, Symphony audience members can more easily purchase tickets and attend concerts, which also saves Symphony on staff time that would have been used to sell and hand-process paper tickets. This allows Symphony to focus more time and energy on its quality concerts, like last season’s production of Stravinsky’s Perséphone.
Perséphone featured original stage design by Michael Curry—the internationally acclaimed, Scappoose-based production designer of Lion King fame. This unique marriage of orchestral music, puppetry and theater was part of SoundSights, an innovative concert series that combined classical music with the visual arts. Our partnership continues to help the Symphony stretch its boundaries, artistically and organizationally, and capture the imagination of a new generation of music lovers.
The Oregon Symphony has consistently demonstrated artistic innovation and organizational growth over the years, and the Murdock Trust is proud to support this important arts organization in our region.
