Earlier this month, Gov. Josh Green signed House Bill 1860 into law, which designates Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra as the state orchestra of Hawaiʻi. The moniker does not come with funding, although earlier drafts of the legislation had proposed that.
“We are tremendously grateful and honored to be recognized with this designation,” Amy Iwano, president and CEO of Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra, told Aloha State Daily. “This distinction puts Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra on a cultural platform with other organizations that have been recognized by the state as being valuable to our culture, such as the Bishop Museum and ʻIolani Palace and East West Center. It's really meaningful because it will give the orchestra more visibility across the community. It recognizes that the symphony is important, and what we bring to the community is of value and valuable.”
The legislation was signed into law on June 5.
Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra offers more than 50 concerts annually. Its programs include the Halekulani Masterworks series, which features world-renowned guests on stage; the HapaSymphony series, which puts local headliners — such as Taimane — in front of a full symphony; the Films in Concert series, which puts movies on the big screen while the symphony plays the score live; and the Blockbuster Summer Festival, which will honor America’s 250th anniversary with eight performances this summer.
ASD spent time analyzing the symphony's finances via tax filings over the years.
Between the Form 990s for 2015 (which covers July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015) and 2024 (which covers July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024), nonprofit Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra had more expenses than revenue for seven of those 10 filings. For the Form 990 for 2024, the symphony’s total revenue was about $5.1 million. Total expenses were about $5.27 million, leaving a deficit of $170,367.
“Just to put this in perspective, this is unfortunately not unusual across the symphony orchestra world across the country,” Iwano said. “What we do is very labor intensive, and there just are no shortcuts to bringing close to 100 musicians to the stage and getting thousands of people through the door to enjoy the live music. I can say, though, that our last fiscal year and this year will tell different stories, and making the orchestra sustainable is a priority for our board and everybody at the organization.”
Iwano, who took the helm July 1, 2024, shared the symphony’s most recent Form 990 for 2025 (which covers July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025) with ASD via email. In that filing, the nonprofit had $6.4 million in total revenue — which was generated by tickets sales, grants, gifts and fundraising events, among other contributions — up by $1.3 million year-over-year. Revenue minus expenses resulted in $422,983. That brings the nonprofit’s net assets to a deficit of $362,897, an improvement from a deficit of $785,880 at the start of the filing period.
Salaries are the symphony’s biggest expense, she said. About $4.3 million of the approximately $6 million in expenses listed in the Form 990 for 2025 went toward salaries, other compensation and benefits. The rest went toward concert hall rentals, production costs and more.
“The biggest cost — of course — is the orchestra itself,” Iwano told ASD. “We have 84 musicians, and on top of that, we have our production crew, and then we have our admin staff. But the orchestra is by far the largest portion.”
The predecessor of Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra was Honolulu Symphony, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 to reorganize, and the following year converted to Chapter 7 bankruptcy, to liquidate the organization.
“We do hope that the designation will give people more confidence that we are here to stay,” she said. “That it will help to tell our story and support fundraising in that way.”
Legacy gifts have been one way to help the symphony continue its work.
“We're talking to people more and more about how legacy gifts can impact the symphony,” Iwano said. “That's one of the main ways that we see to make our ongoing situation sustainable.”
The symphony has also been working to reach new listeners, and participated in a collaboration with the Polynesian Voyaging Society for a symphonic piece about the double-hulled voyaging canoe, Hōkūleʻa, in April, and one with Mānoa Valley Theatre for Mendelssohn’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” in March. There are also other programs focused on climate and the environment, which partner with local organizations.
State orchestras are rare, Iwano added.
“We're determined more than ever to serve the whole state, so we're also looking at ways to reach out to the other islands,” she said. “To take our music and our musicians out — beyond Oʻahu — and to other parts of Oʻahu, beyond Honolulu.”
Sometimes that means taking smaller groups to untraditional spaces.
“For example, this past April, we sent chamber ensembles from the orchestra to six different medical centers and health facilities,” she said. “And in February, we did a project called Music from the Heart for Valentine's Day. We sent chamber ensembles all around the city. They played at the farmers market and at Pickles at Forté and at Salt [at Our Kakaʻako]. We really want everybody to join in celebrating our symphony in all these different ways.”
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
