The Musical Arts Association
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
The Cleveland Orchestra inspires and enriches lives by creating extraordinary musical experiences at the highest level of artistic excellence.
- Income
- $78.8 million
- Spending
- $72.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 81%
- Reserves
- -0.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 50%
- Employees
- 688
- Volunteers
- 1,060
- Highest pay
- $1.3 million, president & ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 56 out of 100. Higher than 25% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 16% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 8% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 1% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1581% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 10 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 80 out of 100. Higher than 7% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2565 of 65 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
0 of 10Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $31.0 million spent. Severance Music Center, Northeast Ohio, and Digital InitiativesRegarded by many music-lovers as one of the world's most beautiful concert halls, Severance opened in 1931 as the home of The Cleveland Orchestra. Today, the main concert hall is known as the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Concert Hall, in recognition of a historic $50 million grant from the Cleveland-based Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation. Severance Music Center serves as the home of The Cleveland Orchestra for concerts, rehearsals, and administration. The building is also rented by a variety of local organizations and private citizens for performances, meetings, and gala events.Located in the University Circle district on the campus of Case Western Reserve University near the Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance Music Center has served as an integral arts and community hub for generations. Though its acclaimed concerts and recordings delight audiences worldwide, The Cleveland Orchestra is a proud ambassador of Northeast Ohio.The Cleveland Orchestra has a long and storied recording history and an expansive catalog of albums released across the past century. Having launched its own recording label in 2020 with The Cleveland Orchestra: A New Century, a collection of six musical works, the Orchestra has since released several ambitious recording projects. This history continued with the release of three new recordings by Music Director Franz Welser-Most: Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, and Julius Eastman's Symphony No. 2 and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2. The Orchestra also launched a new partnership with WCLV/Ideastream Public Media and WFMT, Chicago's classical music station, that brought 13 Cleveland Orchestra concerts recorded at Severance Music Center to national and international listeners.These recordings are available for download and streaming on all major platforms. For more information, visit clevelandorchestra.com/discover/recordings/. The 2024-25 season was the first yearlong digital season on The Cleveland Orchestra's streaming platform, Adella.live. The season consisted of six Live from Severance concerts streamed in real time from Mandel Concert Hall at Severance Music Center and nine digital premieres, featuring recent digital concerts and exclusive behind-the-scenes features and interviews with guest artists and TCO musicians.
- $10.0 million spent. Touring and ResidenciesEach year, the Orchestra allocates several weeks of its performance schedule to residencies and touring activities beyond Northeast Ohio, nationally and internationally. These are designed to enhance both the artistic and financial strength of the organization and extend the Orchestra's worldwide reputation. The season started with the Orchestra's 80th international tour and the 22nd under the baton of Music Director Franz Welser-Most, with a concert recognizing the 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner's birth in his home city of Ansfelden, Austria as part of a year-long celebration. The tour also marked The Cleveland Orchestra's return to Helsinki, Finland and Bratislava, Slovakia for the first time since 1965. The season also marked the 18th year of the Orchestra's Miami Residency and partnership with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. The Residency also included musician coaching sessions with students from Bethune-Cookman University, pre-concert performances by the Miami Music Project, and two days of free education concerts for Miami students.
- $10.6 million spent. Blossom Musical Festival and Blossom Music CenterThe 2024 Blossom Music Festival featured a wide range of concerts at The Cleveland Orchestra's summer home in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Cleveland Orchestra Music Director Franz Welser-Most returned to Blossom to conduct Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, and pianist Vikingur Olafsson in Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto. The festival also welcomed conductors Domingo Hindoyan and Antonello Manacorda in their Cleveland Orchestra debuts and spotlighted two Cleveland Orchestra soloists: Principal Trumpet Michael Sachs in Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto and Principal Cello Mark Kosower in Walton's Cello Concerto. Fresh off his latest Grammy Award wins, banjo player Bela Fleck joined The Cleveland Orchestra and conductor Brett Mitchell for Rhapsody in Blue. Tony and Grammy award-winning singer and actor Leslie Odom, Jr. made his Cleveland Orchestra debut following the annual Blossom Summer Soiree, a special event to benefit the Orchestra's summer home.
- $6.8 million spent. Digital Education and Community ResourcesThe Cleveland Orchestra continued serving Northeast Ohio over the course of the 2024-25 season. Ongoing programs in Severance Music Center such as Family Concerts, Education Concerts, and Music Explorers reached more than 20,000 students and thousands of children and families. In-School programs such as Crescendo and Music Mentors created access to instrumental music and expert instruction in Cleveland area schools. All Cleveland Orchestra educational programs are now free for schools. Weekly Concert Previews and Music in Depth webinars continued to serve Cleveland Orchestra lifelong learners.The Orchestra's performed Wild Symphony by New York Times best-selling author Dan Brown as part of its Family Concert series, intended for children ages 7 to 12. The concert brought to life nearly two dozen musical portraits drawn from the animal kingdom, with Brown narrating live. The Orchestra's returned to Cain Park in Cleveland Heights for the first time since 1957. This free community concert celebrated the rich tapestry of American music and was conducted by Anthony Parnther. Across a typical season, the Orchestra's education and community initiatives reach more than 100,000 people. For more information, visit clevelandorchestra.com/engage/community-programs/. The Cleveland Orchestra offers countless digital offerings to serve our local communities and schools. Children can learn the basics of orchestral music and the role of the conductor in video series such as What is an Orchestra? and can explore the instruments of the orchestra up close and personal with Choose Your Instrument. Young children and families can also enjoy Storytime with The Cleveland Orchestra. Each of these series feature tips and advice from Cleveland Orchestra musicians, fun animation, and world-class music. Children or educators can also engage students with The Cleveland Orchestra's Listening Maps interactive clips that bring listeners deeper into the music or dive into online Lesson Plans for grades Pre-K to 5. Each evergreen digital series has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.Mandel Opera & Humanities FestivalThe third edition of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Opera and Humanities Festival took place in May 2025 and was anchored by three performances of Janacek's Jenufa, led by Music Director Franz Welser-Most and featuring The Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus. The festival, which centered around the theme of Reconciliation, also featured The Moth Mainstage: Live from Severance, The Women of Chicago's Black Renaissance with pianist Michelle Cann, Cuban pianist and composer Chucho Valdes, the free art exhibition Re-membering Community, and more events with Cleveland-based community and cultural partners.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since November 1925.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.