The North Carolina Symphony has met a substantial financial challenge and raised more than $8 million in community support for the second consecutive year, the orchestra announces.

By reaching this funding threshold set by the North Carolina General Assembly the symphony qualifies for the full $1.5 million challenge grant appropriated in the legislature's 2010-11 budget.

"Thank you to the more than 3,700 individual, foundation and corporate contributors, and concertgoers, educators, students, arts advocates and residents from across North Carolina and beyond who, through their generosity, made this happen," says North Carolina Symphony Society Board Chair Catharine Arrowood. "I especially thank our boards of trustees who worked tirelessly on behalf of our philanthropic efforts. "

In combination with significant expense reductions that shrank the organization's budget by more than 20 percent through musician and staff wage concessions and resource cuts, the symphony has successfully reduced its total debt by nearly $2.6 million compared with a year and a half ago.

"The credit for reaching the milestone goes to our patrons, our trustees on both our Society Board and Foundation Board and to the staff and musicians of the North Carolina Symphony who, with Interim President and CEO Don K. Davis and music director Grant Llewellyn, have delivered masterfully on the plans and mission of the North Carolina Symphony in a fiscally responsible manner," says Sandi M.A. Macdonald, the symphony's president and CEO, who began in early June. "To join the North Carolina Symphony at this moment of remarkable community support makes me even more excited and eager to advance our statewide mission going forward."

Approximately 200,000 people attended the North Carolina Symphony's public concerts across the state during this concert season. The orchestra also performed 43 free concerts for elementary and middle school students, representing more than 25 North Carolina counties.

The achievement comes as the symphony prepares for its 2011-12 concert season. Musical highlights include the return of pianist Yuja Wang and singer/songwriter Art Garfunkel; celebrations of Leonard Bernstein and Billy Joel; explorations of three vibrant global musical cultures; standout performances of Mozart's "Requiem," Orff's "Carmina Burana," Tchaikovsky's "Fifth Symphony" and more.

Along with concerts held in the symphony's home venue, downtown Raleigh's Meymandi Concert Hall, the orchestra will perform regular series in Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington, as well as individual public and educational concerts throughout the state.

Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs more than 175 concerts annually to adults and school children. The orchestra travels more than 14,000 miles annually throughout the state. Under the artistic leadership of music director and conductor Grant Llewellyn, resident conductor William Henry Curry and associate conductor Sarah Hicks, the orchestra employs 67 professional musicians.

For tickets, program notes, podcasts or just to get to know your Symphony musicians, visit the North Carolina Symphony website at www.ncsymphony.org. Call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at (919) 733-2750 or toll free at (877) 627-6724.