SAINT LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

SAINT LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

EIN 43-0666769 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A690)

What they do

THE MISSION of THE ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (SLSO) is to ENRICH LIVES THROUGH THE POWER of MUSIC. THE SLSO PROVIDES ORCHESTRA CONCERTS, COMMUNITY PROGRAMS, and EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES for THE ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY and BEYOND.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $79.60 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders56 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

58.79%of revenue went to mission work79.6% of expenses · Program services

4.72%of revenue went to fundraising6.4% of expenses

$73.84spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

10.33%of revenue went to management and office costs14.0% of expenses

$5.75in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

83.8%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $585,474 for MARIE-HELENE BERNARD (PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$54,686,743

Mission workProgram services$32,149,74758.79% of revenue79.6% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$5,650,83110.33% of revenue14.0% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$2,582,7464.72% of revenue6.4% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$14,303,41926.16% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$40,383,32473.84% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 79.6% mission · 14.0% management · 6.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 73.84% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 76.1% mission · 16.6% management · 7.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 71.16% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 77.7% mission · 16.0% management · 6.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 61.78% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 78.3% mission · 16.5% management · 5.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 42.12% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 84.8% mission · 10.0% management · 5.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 52.21% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 76.7% mission · 16.8% management · 6.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 66.05% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 77.7% mission · 16.7% management · 5.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 74.98% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 86.6% mission · 7.7% management · 5.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.69% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$54,686,743

Expenses$40,383,324

Annual surplus $14,303,419 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$32,149,747 · 79.6% of expenses

Management and office costs$5,650,831 · 14.0% of expenses

Fundraising$2,582,746 · 6.4% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$54,686,743

Expenses$40,383,324

Assets$232,153,108

Income$194,725,445

Contributions$45,808,922

Mission work (program services)$32,149,747

Fundraising$2,582,746

Grants given$20,756,006

Average grant$2,965,144

Management and general$5,650,831

Executive compensation (total)$983,590

Stocks and bonds$39,909,902

Accounting fees$84,400

Investing fees$6,022

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

MARIE-HELENE BERNARDPRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE · 40 hrs/week $585,474Base $523,461 · Other $62,013

DAVID HALENCONCERTMASTER · 40 hrs/week $325,009Base $275,329 · Other $49,680

STEVEN ROSENZWEIGCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (THRU 11/24) · 40 hrs/week $278,817Base $228,044 · Other $50,773

PAUL PIETROWSKICHIEF OPERATING OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $251,609Base $207,902 · Other $43,707

ROGER KAZAMUSICIAN · 40 hrs/week $240,100Base $189,659 · Other $50,441

SCOTT D ANDREWSMUSICIAN · 40 hrs/week $235,559Base $194,941 · Other $40,618

BETH CHUMUSICIAN · 40 hrs/week $234,187Base $184,068 · Other $50,119

BJORN RANHEIMTRUSTEE / MUSICIAN · 40 hrs/week $154,330Base $109,937 · Other $44,393

DAVID DERISOTRUSTEE / MUSICIAN · 40 hrs/week $153,363Base $109,345 · Other $44,018

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (56)

MARIE-HELENE BERNARDPRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE

DAVID HALENCONCERTMASTER

STEVEN ROSENZWEIGCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (THRU 11/24)

PAUL PIETROWSKICHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

ROGER KAZAMUSICIAN

SCOTT D ANDREWSMUSICIAN

BETH CHUMUSICIAN

BJORN RANHEIMTRUSTEE / MUSICIAN

DAVID DERISOTRUSTEE / MUSICIAN

PETER VAN CLEVETRUSTEE

SCOTT LANNINGCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (AS OF 2/25)

REX A SINQUEFIELDTRUSTEE

RAY M SIMONTRUSTEE

RACHEL SEWARDTRUSTEE

STEPHEN M SAVISTRUSTEE

PETER CZAJKOWSKITRUSTEE

NOEMI NEIDORFFVICE CHAIR

NANCY GALVINCHAIR-ELECT

MOLLY HYLANDTRUSTEE

SHERRY SISSACASSISTANT SECRETARY

SPENCER BURKETRUSTEE

WILLIAM POLKTRUSTEE

STEVE FINERTYCHAIR

STEVE MACKINTRUSTEE

SUSAN EICKHOFFTRUSTEE

SUSAN M VEIDTTRUSTEE

SUZANNE SEIBELTRUSTEE

THELMA E STEWARDTRUSTEE

TRICIA ZIMMERTRUSTEE

VIJA TURINATRUSTEE

ADI SHAMIR-BARONTRUSTEE

DR STEVEN BALDWINTRUSTEE

ALLISON W ROBERTSTRUSTEE

BARRY H BERACHATRUSTEE

BELLA SANEVICHTRUSTEE

CAROLYN F HENGESTRUSTEE

CAROLYN GRAHAM FARRELLTRUSTEE

CRYSTAL ALLEN DALLASTRUSTEE

DANIEL C WESSELTREASURER

DAVID L STEWARDVICE CHAIR

DR DAVID PISTONTRUSTEE

DR GAYLE JACKSONTRUSTEE

DR KENNETH M LUDMERERTRUSTEE

DR NICHOLAS KOUCHOUKOSTRUSTEE

MARK THRODAHLTRUSTEE

ELCIO BARCELOSTRUSTEE

ELIZABETH MANNEN BERGESSECRETARY

IRASA DOWNINGTRUSTEE

JANET WILLIAMSTRUSTEE

JOHN TVRDIKTRUSTEE

JOHN WINSKITRUSTEE

KATE WARNE RIGGSTRUSTEE

KATHLEEN T OSBORNVICE CHAIR

LAWRENCE P KATZENSTEINGENERAL COUNSEL

MARCELA MANJARREZTRUSTEE

MARJORIE M IVEYTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1926
Location: 718 NORTH GRAND BLVD, ST LOUIS, MO 63103
County: St. Louis (city)
In care of: MARIE-HELENE BERNARD
Primary officer: MARIE-HELENE BERNARD, CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailinfo@slso.org Phone(314) 533-2500

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: September 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: RUBINBROWN LLP
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities (A690)
IRS tax category: Musical Groups and Artists
Grant-giving organization: Yes