Continuo Society

A cultural jewel in Inland Southern California, the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra presents a full season of orchestral music each year dramatically enhancing the region's quality of life and economic vitality... an estimated $2 million in the Inland Empire each year!

But that's not all.

The Symphony is educating the next generation of music aficionados. More than 1,500 students from the San Bernardino City Unified School District attend our annual concert for the schools, hundreds of families attend concerts through grants and donations, and everyone can learn about orchestral music through the videos produced in partnership with California State University San Bernardino right here https://www.sanbernardinosymphony.org/music-education on our website. Further, the San Bernardino Youth Symphony Orchestra, dedicated to the performance of works by underrepresented composers, trains the musicians of tomorrow.

These things do not happen through ticket sales alone.

The Symphony has benefitted from the generosity of many devoted patrons of the arts. Some of the most memorable are those who are no longer here to witness the fruits of their donations.

In 2004, we received a significant bequest from the estate of Marjorie Jones. Then in 2007, we received a $1M bequest from the estate of former Board of Directors Member Frank Plash. Later that same year, a second generous bequest was received from the estate of Evelyn Magnuson whom we remember each year with her requested performance of a Mozart composition. With these initial gifts, our Continuo Society was born.

More notifications of the Symphony's inclusion in the long-term planning of our patrons were received over the years. So in 2011, an account was established at the Inland Empire Community Foundation to invest future legacy gifts received without their own established endowment or trust. Bequests could go there to combine with others to fund operations, or they could be dedicated toward a specific activity, such as Society Member Dean McVay's planned Pops Series.

In early 2019, the Symphony was thrilled to receive notification of a $2M bequest from the estate of Sharrell Paramo. Today, interest from our endowments fund more than ten percent of our annual operating budget!

Our mission-driven goal is to sustainably provide accessible music and music education in perpetuity. Therefore, new gifts and bequests are needed to enable these activities to grow and thrive, attaining even greater heights of artistic excellence and uplifting our community and region through the arts.

Please consider making an enduring gift through participation in the Continuo Society.

Your gift can be pledged, naming the Symphony an insurance or retirement plan beneficiary. Or it can be a part of your will or trust. Gifts can also be planned annual or year-end donations given in honor of - or in memory of - a loved one.

You define how your gift is used, be it toward an educational initiative... toward the performance of works by your favorite composer or genre of music... toward a named seat in the orchestra... or even toward general operations. The Symphony also accepts gifts of real estate and other tangible assets.

If you do not already have an estate plan, please note that Symphony maintains relationships with a number of excellent local estate attorneys who can assist you to create a Charitable Gift Annuity or Charitable Remainder Trust.

All contributors will be enrolled in the Symphony’s Continuo Society and recognized in concert program books and on our website thereby inspiring others to join and be a part of a 'musical movement' to keep the music alive for years and years to come.

It's very easy to do! Become a Member of the Continuo Society today.

CONTINUO SOCIETY MEMBERS

Tobin and Erin Brinker

Barbara K. Duff*

Mark Edwards and Lori Beach

Drs. Jay Fiene and Jan Muto

Drs. Carolyn Eggleston and Thom Gehring

John Gates

Mary Lou Gross*

Clark H. and Marjorie L. Jones*

Evelyn Magnuson*

Chester and Desiree Marcell