Over the years FRIENDS/WAMSO has donated over ten million dollars to the Minnesota Orchestral Association through the Symphony Ball and other fundraising efforts. Many balls included a separate Fashion Show sponsored by Dayton’s or Neiman Marcus. Who could ever forget the 1998 Symphony Ball bears – Maestro and Melody? WAMSO’s support for the Orchestra has included the endowment of the Principal Percussion Chair.

In addition to the Symphony Ball, WAMSO held many other fundraising events including: Hot Jazz for a Cool Night (1994 featuring Vikings coach Dennis Green); Vintages of Note (several years), Settings of Note (several years), Symphony of Dinners (1992); the Bowling Ball (2006). More recently FRIENDS has held annual fundraising luncheon - It’s in the Bag and It’s in the Barn. Additional earned income came from the Pastry Booth which was set up on Peavy Plaza during Sommerfest and the WAMSO gift shop in the lobby of Orchestra Hall.

While supporting the Minnesota Orchestra FRIENDS/WAMSO has created and nurtured many education programs including Kinder Konzerts and the Young Artist Competition which continue as Legacy programs. Other education programs have included Gear Your Ear, a Listening Contest for upper elementary aged students; Meet the Masters, where aspiring young musicians worked one-on-one with a guest artist; Listening House, an adult education program featuring guest speakers; Family Concert Previews/Learning in the Lobby, pre-concert activities at family concerts. Listening House evolved into ACCENT/Meet A Musician. Young Audiences was an education program of WAMSO for 30 years. The program brought music, dance, and theater ensembles into schools. In 1993 Young Audiences was “spun off” from WAMSO and became its own non-profit organization.

WAMSO/FRIENDS has always been a volunteer driven organization with paying dues members. During the Symphony Ball years, membership was 700-800.