Stockton Symphony Association

Since 1926, the Stockton Symphony Association has provided high quality, live artistic orchestra performances to the residents of Stockton and the san joaquin county region. Our vision is to unite communities and neighborhoods through the power of music. Our mission is to inspire joy and build community through the magic of music. The Stockton Symphony is a fully professional orchestra of 50-70 union players. The staff is made up of a ceo, music director, development director, operations/box office personnel, and assistant to the ceo, and a librarian. A main series of nine subscription concerts is provided at atherton auditorium on the delta college campus. Additional performances are provided at the grand theatre in tracy and at hutchins street square auditorium in lodi. The organization provides outreach concerts in a variety of additional locations and venues throughout the san joaquin county region to better serve the community. A summer series of "gatherings" are held at select wineries to promote orchestra with an intimate outdoor music experience. Education is a primary initiative of the Symphony and a set of six "steppin' out" children's programs are performed for over 6,000 children from Stockton, lincoln, lodi, elk grove, linden, and manteca school districts. Instrument petting zoos and guest artist visits to schools are important education initiatives offered to give students exposure and access to music to inspire and educate for their success. This year was a challenging one with the ceo, philip west, passing away suddenly in february 2023. In addition, the Symphony was only at 56% of the subscriptions sold vs. pre-pandemic and donations were trending down. The Symphony hired a seasoned executive, scott watkins, in fall of 2023 to be ceo who began observing critical data to prescribe changes leading to future growth and sustainability. Consolidating classical concerts from two to one, cutting back one concert, and developing audiences through revised ticket pricing along with programming upgrades. Plans for the centennial season (2026) were developed in anticipation of silent phase legacy giving and activities encouraging future support of the Symphony. The Symphony is a collaborator with other non-profits and businesses to build the strength of the community.