The Elmhurst Symphony has a Plan

February 1, 2024

New Executive Director and Strategic Plan show promise

Originally published by Elmhurst Living Magazine February 2024

On a cold Saturday morning in February of 2023, board members, musicians, staff, and volunteers of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra gathered to discuss a serious problem: The Symphony was losing money, and fast. A year later, the orchestra has seen two record-setting concerts, exceeded its annual fundraising goal nearly six months ahead of schedule, and is on target to end the year with a balanced budget.


“We’ve made excellent progress,” said Elmhurst Symphony Executive Director Gregory Hughes, “and we have a lot more to do.”


Hughes took the reins of the ESO in July 2022, spearheading the organization’s marketing, fundraising, and administrative operations. With careful study of the orchestra’s financial history, he noted the ESO had operated at a deficit in six of the prior ten fiscal years, and quickly determined the cause.


“We were spending 10-20% more than we brought in and depleting our cash reserves. The data painted a clear picture: The ESO did a great job of attracting new ticket buyers and donors, and a terrible job getting them to come back. We needed to fix our patron retention problem.”


The Symphony’s leadership began crafting a strategic plan to address patron retention and chart the organization’s course for the future. Available to read at ElmhurstSymphony.org/Strategic-Plan, the document provides a detailed roadmap to bolstering audience and donor retention, volunteer engagement, and organizational decision-making processes.


“The plan is a good start,” Hughes remarked, “and the components of it we’ve been able to execute so far are working well. Plans, though, are fragile things and we’re committed to revisiting it each year to evaluate and fine tune it.”


Among those components already in place are competitive ticket prices and reserved seating, so patrons have more control over their concert-going experience, and a plethora of new ways to thank supporters.


“A timely newsletter so our donors know how their money is being spent, a hand-signed ‘thank you’ card on a subscriber’s seat, a note or phone call from a board member — stewardship isn’t rocket science and these types of things go a long way.”


“Elmhurst Symphony patrons are savvy,” Hughes added, “and I don’t think they want us sitting back hoping and praying ticket sales and contributions come in. They want to see that we have a plan to go out and get that support. That’s exactly what we have, and it's working.”




May 12, 2025
The Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to announce that Tong-Bai Deng , pianist, has been named the winner of the 2025 Stanger Young Artist Competition. The announcement was made live at the conclusion of the Rising Stars of Stanger concert on Saturday, May 10, 2025, held at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church. Deng earned top honors for his electrifying performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Movement IV , captivating both the audience and judges with his technical command and passionate artistry.  The concert featured three finalist performances by exceptional high school musicians: Tong-Bai Deng , piano — Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (Mvt. IV) Sarah Gomez , Sam Deverman , Elyse Schlesinger , and Julian Kolthammer , horns — Robert Schumann’s Konzertstück for Four Horns and Orchestra Neal Eisfeldt , violin — Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto (Mvt. I) The Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Assistant Conductor Eli Chen , also performed Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, Movement I , rounding out a dynamic and celebratory afternoon of music. A panel of esteemed judges— Andrea Lafranzo , Michael Lewanski , and Peter Lipari —was embedded in the audience to evaluate each finalist on musicianship, interpretation, and stage presence before announcing the winner live from the stage. “This competition is one of the most inspiring events we host all year,” said Michael Surratt, Coordinator of the Stanger Young Artist Competition. “We are so proud of all the finalists and extend our warmest congratulations to Tong-Bai Deng for his extraordinary performance.” The Stanger Young Artist Competition is an annual tradition that supports and celebrates the next generation of classical musicians by offering high school performers the opportunity to appear as soloists with a professional orchestra. It is in part sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst , whose generous and ongoing support is gratefully acknowledged. For more information on the competition or upcoming performances, please visit ElmhurstSymphony.org or contact the ESO office at 630-941-0202 (Monday-Friday 10AM-3PM).
May 12, 2025
Gallery Photos by Elliot Mandel Photography.
May 5, 2025
Gallery Photos by Ryan Bennett for Elliot Mandel Photography.
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