FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 20, 2017 – Richmond, VA – Coinciding with the celebrations around its upcoming 60th Anniversary Season, the Richmond Symphony announced today that it will launch a new brand identity designed to best position the Symphony in service to the Richmond community for the next 60 years and beyond.

The new brand identity program was developed by a team of VCU Brandcenter graduate students in partnership with the Richmond Symphony’s staff and Public Relevance Committee. The branding effort was developed under the guidance of Brandcenter professor, Kelly O’Keefe. The new dynamic logo and identity system reflects the vibrant and ever-moving nature of the Symphony’s music, performers and the City.

Executive Director David J.L. Fisk comments “To honor our evolution, we are announcing an exciting new brand identity system and logo for the Richmond Symphony, but our brand can’t be expressed in words and visuals alone. Our story is evident in our flowing and adaptable new graphic look; by creating welcoming and inspiring experiences that have taken us all across the Commonwealth; and, of course, in our music making, as skillfully performed as always – but more varied than ever before.”

In addition to the new logo, the Richmond Symphony will be enhancing the overall brand experience and increasing awareness of the diversity of its programming. Richmond Symphony performances will be organized around three different programmatic approaches: Classics, Currents and Community. This new classification ensures that there is a way for everyone, of every background, of every age and of course, of every musical taste, to find the experience that resonates most with them.

“Under the leadership of the Symphony’s Board, David Fisk and Steven Smith, the Richmond Symphony has brought a fresh innovative approach to its programming and expanded its reach. It has become a connected pillar of Richmond’s creative community” said VCU Brandcenter’s Kelly O’Keefe. “The new brand identity system captures the vibrant and ever-changing nature of the Symphony’s music, its performing artists and the city we all share. It’s been an honor to play a role in this important project.”

As part of these efforts, the Symphony will continue its commitment to reach audiences wherever they are, throughout the city and across the state. Using the Big Tent and other non-traditional venues, audiences will find additional opportunities to hear a variety of music, performed by exceptional artists.

VCU Brandcenter Team Members
Maria Kouninski: Art Director
Chris Lumain: Art Director
Will Bareford: Copywriter
Conor McFarland: Copywriter
Dan Cotting: Experience Designer
Katherine Gannon: Strategist
Colleen Hiegel: Creative Brand Manager
Kelly O’Keefe: Professor and Advisor

About the Richmond Symphony

Kicking off its 60th Anniversary Season in September 2017, the Richmond Symphony is the largest performing arts organization in Central Virginia. The organization includes an orchestra of more than 70 professional musicians, the 150-voice Richmond Symphony Chorus and more than 260 students in the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra programs. Each season, more than 200,000 members of the community enjoy concerts, and radio broadcasts. The Symphony also provides educational outreach programs to over 55,000 students and teachers each year. The Symphony was recently named one of 21 American orchestras selected as a leader in orchestra innovation by the League of American Orchestras through its Futures Fund Initiative. The Richmond Symphony is partially funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Visit www.richmondsymphony.com.

Contacts:
Scott Dodson
Director of Advancement and Patron Communications
804.788.4717 ext. 120
sdodson@richmondsymphony.com
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