Opportunity
Musicians formed Symphoria in 2012 as a musician-led cooperative after the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra closed. Its community-focused, member-driven model worked. The name didn't. "Symphoria" said neither orchestra nor Syracuse, so every introduction needed a second sentence. The organization added "The Orchestra of CNY" as a qualifier to say what the name couldn't.
The competition went well beyond other orchestras. It included national touring acts stopping in Syracuse, Syracuse Stage, Jazz Fest, and the steady pull of everything else competing for a night out. The orchestra was also up against a perception: that symphony is stuffy, formal, and "not for me." By 2023, leadership wanted to raise attendance and subscriptions and to reach a younger audience who would become the orchestra's future patrons. That called for a brand that placed the organization on par with metropolitan and regional orchestras across the country. Those orchestras name themselves after their cities.
Approach
I led a team of five and worked directly with the orchestra's three-person leadership team. The work, codenamed "Tuning Fork," ran from naming refinement through identity, guidelines, and roll-out.
The brief set a clear standard. The new identity had to be professional, modern, entertaining, and current. It also had to invite in an audience as diverse as the community within thirty miles of downtown Syracuse. We audited about 60 orchestra brands, from Boston and Chicago to Rochester and Buffalo, and the pattern was plain. The strongest names are the simplest, and they belong to a place. The Cleveland Orchestra. The Philadelphia Orchestra. Beginning in 2024, The Syracuse Orchestra.
We mapped every touchpoint on a brand spectrum, from functional pieces like the name, logo, stationery, and ticketing to the live performance itself. We then staged the roll-out so the people closest to the orchestra heard first: staff in a confidential announcement, then musicians at a pre-public brand event. Partners, ticketing and back-of-house systems, the website, and the press followed. The public reveal came from the director on stage in February 2024.
Identity
The trademark, earned the moniker First Chair, which is a nod to musician rank in the orchestra. The symbol combines three ideas: the instruments of the orchestra, the letter S, and music notation. String bodies, woodwind keys, and percussion forms resolve into a signle unique symbol. It was built to respond to its context, working as a full lockup, a stacked version, or the symbol alone. The symbol alone holds up at the smallest sizes, on a lapel pin or in a browser tab.
The brand characteristics guide how it looks, acts, and feels. Inspired, because there's more beneath the surface. Entertaining, because entertainment isn't a side effect; it's what the orchestra does. Current, because it's an orchestra for now and for what comes next. A signature color, Passion, leads a working palette of Calm, Fire, and Night.
The brand system make consistency the default. They are organized around a musical idea: brand dynamics, running from pianissimo for functional pieces to fortissimo for events, social, and community moments. Staff and vendors know when to play quiet and when to play loud.
The system at pianissimo: business cards, letterhead, and email signature.
The system at fortissimo: the "Music That Moves You" season brochure and social templates.
Outcome
With the new name, and a new brand to express, the second sentence went away. The orchestra reports that audiences now understand who it is from the name alone: "The new branding gets us right to step two." Marketing has stopped having to explaining what they are is and now sells what a concert feels like, especially to first-time audiences. Messaging is more consistent. Musicians and staff no longer explain what they play for. Sponsors find the decision easier because it's clear exactly what they're supporting. The name also lets the orchestra lean into its Syracuse roots, which matters in the community.
Holiday shows are selling out, and subscriptions are up. In 2025, the orchestra reported more than 25,000 tickets sold across 49 concerts, more than 2,000 first-time attendees, and subscription revenue at 122% of goal.
Cleveland has its orchestra. So does Philadelphia. Now Syracuse does too, and it's finally playing in its home key.
