As the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra approaches its 50th year of bringing superb chamber music to the Greater Cincinnati community, we celebrate the past as we focus on the future. Anchored by its deep roots as a professional orchestra playing a year-long season, the CCO launched our unique Summermusik Festival in 2015. Summermusik, described by Cincinnati Enquirer as “one of the most creative and innovative classical music experiences in the region,” has made its mark and established an enduring position among the high-quality classical music offerings that make Cincinnati extraordinary for a city of its size.

Over the five decades that the CCO has been engaging and enriching audiences, the CCO baton has been passed among a small cadre of world-class music directors, including founder Paul Nadler, Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, and current music director Eckart Preu, whose musical talent and engaging personality has elevated Summermusik and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra to new heights.

As we look ahead to the next 50 years, your gift to the Legacy Society helps assure the CCO a bright and exciting future of innovative arts programming and affirms your legacy as a supporter of Cincinnati’s vibrant musical arts community. As a seasonal orchestra, most of our musicians have multiple roles that form the fabric of the musical arts, such as working as music teachers and volunteering at schools, churches and other nonprofit organizations. Your gift will ripple through the community in unexpected ways.

Long-Range Charitable Giving Options

The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra’s Legacy Society offers many long-range charitable giving options. Here are some ideas to discuss with your tax and estate planning advisors:

A bequest in a will or trust is a simple and effective way to make a legacy gift.

An IRA or other retirement plan beneficiary designation removes assets from your taxable estate.

A donor-advised fund lets you take tax deductions for your gift today, keeping the actual cash in a special fund to grow tax-free while you make gifts to the charitable beneficiaries you select. You can make gifts to the CCO from a DAF during your lifetime or designate the CCO to receive all or part of the funds remaining in the DAF at the end of your life.

A gift of appreciated property, including stocks, bonds, real estate and personal property lets you take a deduction for the full fair-market value of your gift while avoiding capital gain and net investment income taxes on that appreciation.

An insurance policy passes directly to the CCO without triggering any income or estate taxes.

A qualified charitable distribution during your lifetime from your IRA lets donors over age 70.5 satisfy required minimum distribution rules without including those withdrawals in adjusted gross income.

Other vehicles such as a charitable gift annuity, a charitable lead trust, charitable remainder trust and a pooled income fund provide other tax and planning advantages that may be suitable for donors who are interested in a stream of income during their lifetimes.

Help us make our future shine even brighter!

If you would like to consider including the CCO in your estate planning and have questions, please contact Executive Director Evan Gidley at 513.723.1182 or gidley@ccocincinnati.org.

All inquires are confidential. The CCO reserves the right to seek legal counsel before gift acceptance.
Please consult an attorney for legal or tax advice.

If you have already included CCO in your estate plans…

If your estate plan already includes a gift to the CCO, we hope you’ll consider letting us know. All legacy donors receive invitations to exclusive events each year and are recognized in our program books. To share information about your legacy gift, you can call or email Evan, or simply complete the attached commitment form below and send it to us at: 650 Walnut St, Cincinnati, OH 45202

CCO Legacy Society

Terri and Thomas Abare

Dick and Mary Lu Aft

Deborah Campbell and
Eunice M. Wolf

Michael T. Moore, Jr.

Daniel Pfahl

M. Patricia and R. Keith Rosely

Rosemary and Mark Schlachter

Mark Silbersack and Ruth Schwallie

In Memorium

Marsha Belonsky

Barbara Bushman

Solveiga Rush