Grand Junction Symphony Foundation — A Legacy Supporting Symphony Music In Mesa County

Music Director Charles Latshaw conducts a GJSO Evening Under the Stars concert at the Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park. Photos courtesy of Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra

With time, patience and perseverance it’s amazing how a humble dream can grow into an audacious reality. Such it is with both the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra (GJSO) and the Grand Junction Symphony Foundation (GJSF). All it takes is a compelling vision and an awful lot of hard work and dedication.

In 1978, the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra was founded by a group of classical musicians building on their experience playing together in the Mesa College Symphony Orchestra. This new nonprofit had a dream of expanding classical music within Mesa County and establishing an outstanding regional orchestra.

As anyone who has ever worked with, or supported, a nonprofit organization knows, funding is critical to any and all endeavors. So it wasn’t too many years later that a group of dedicated symphony supporters began taking steps to create a permanent endowment to provide the GJSO with lasting financial support.

The founding of the Grand Junction Symphony Foundation is both clear and a little murky. Everyone loves a good story, and local imagination has been captivated by the idea that a local Basque ranchwoman, Benerita Urruty, donated $10,000 in a paper bag to support the symphony orchestra. While it is true that Urruty did provide $10,000 in a paper bag to support the arts in Grand Junction, she specifically wanted to jumpstart a performing arts center. Her money remained true to her intention, and after growing through investment for many years, was ultimately used to support the Avalon Theatre renovation, according to Wanda Putnam, a founding board member of the GJSF.

“The original money for the endowment was from the GJSO board of directors. In 1990, they had a surplus of $8,000 — money they didn’t have to spend that year for expenses — and this eventually established the Grand Junction Symphony Foundation,” Putnam explains.

Project Trio and the GJSO expanded the boundaries of classical music and captivated the audience.

In 2024, the GJSF celebrates its 30th anniversary as a nonprofit trust supporting the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra. As the year begins, the value of the GJSF is more than $2 million. A $30,000 matching campaign launched in late 2023, seeded with three individual $10,000 donations from the Dave and Mary Wood Fund, Jim and Carol Cadez, and Sherry and Dave Farney, more than doubled its goal, reaching over $135,000 within weeks.

According to Kelly Anderson, the GJSO executive director, monetary support from GJSF is a dependable source of year-to-year funding (currently around $60,000 per year) that is generally used to help increase orchestra members’ modest salaries. In addition, he notes that during the COVID-19 shutdown the GJSF provided supplementary funding which helped pay the staff and keep the doors open. “The foundation income supports the long-term sustainability of the symphony,” he adds.

Long-term sustainability is the fundamental goal of any endowment or trust. Gregg Kampf is a local attorney who helped establish the foundation and served on the first GJSF board of directors. In distinguishing between direct gifts to nonprofits and gifts to foundations he clarifies that, “gifts to a charity are funds that can be used as soon as possible for the operating budget and immediate needs. Endowments are set up to be a permanent source of funding for the charity. Endowments appeal to donors who like that they can support the charity in perpetuity.”

Time, patience and perseverance: these are the qualities that have cemented a firm place for classical music in Western Colorado. While thrilled with the growth of the GJSF, Putnam shares that the organization’s goal is to build an endowment of $5 million in the next few years. “The generosity of our community has been amazing,” she exudes. “In this campaign we have had long-time donors and many, many first-time donors. People will be astounded when they see the donor page in the symphony program.”

Donations are always needed and welcome at both the GJSF and the GJSO. For information about donating to the GJSF during their 30th anniversary and into the future, visit gjso.org/ support/foundation.