66th Annual Junior Symphony Ball
Sold out “Purpose With a Party”
Raises $497,000 for music and education programs
The total dollars were tallied for the 66th Annual Junior Symphony Ball (JSB) “Purpose with a Party” fundraiser, and a tremendous sum has been raised by the students. On behalf of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League, a gigantic check in the record-breaking amount of $497,000 was presented to Nancy Labadie, DSOL President, and Terry Loftis, Chief Advancement and Revenue Officer of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
JSB is the second largest fundraiser for the DSOL and this year, has broken the mold and taken this fundraiser to a new level in money raised.
The event on January 27th at the iconic Gilley’s Dallas witnessed a historic milestone with an unprecedented attendance of over 2,700 high school students from 35 schools. Tickets for fundraiser sold out within an hour of their release with hundreds more on the waitlist. This outstanding turnout set a new record as the largest in the event's history. The Steering Committee, comprising more than 800 students, played a pivotal role in orchestrating the evening's success.
From start to finish, the committee undertook the task of organizing logistics, planning activities, and implementing crowd control measures to guarantee the enjoyment of the vast gathering. The check-in went smoothly handling the process efficiently for the hundreds of students that came through. Over 200 supportive parent volunteers helped to staff the evening. It culminated in a high-energy and memorable extravaganza for the staggering number of high school students in attendance.
“What makes JSB so special is this is the only party in town that every high school Sophomore through Senior is invited to attend,” said 2024 JSB Chair, Suzanne Austin. “These precious students are sometimes friends through social media, sports or school activities but this is the only time they can all come and spend an organized fun evening together.
The lineup of the 2024 Event Co-Chairs represents schools across Dallas: Cara Lichty, Episcopal School of Dallas; James Sutherland, St. Mark's School of Texas; Kate Fagan, The Hockaday School; Cash Nix, Highland Park High School; Ela Austin, Ursuline Academy; Ashton Krug, Jesuit College Prep of Dallas; Adelaide Boisture, Parish Episcopal School; Baker Trent, Bishop Lynch High School; Caroline Woram, Highland Park High School.
Their supportive and proud moms are: Suzanne Austin, Jenny Lichty, Ashley Boisture, Jonika Nix, Dana Woram, Holly Krug, Lauren Sutherland, Aimee Fagan, and Katy Trent.
JSB is in its 66th year and is the longest running fundraiser of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League (DSOL), supporting DSO outreach programs such as the Young Strings program and the Young Musicians program. It was founded with the concept of “student-led, parent-guided” leadership. While JSB has evolved in scope and participation size, it has always been a high school student fundraising event for the DSO hosted by area 10th-12th grade high school students and their parents. JSB has grown over the decades from just a handful of participating schools to over 35 this year.
JSB is a time honored tradition and a great first foray into giving back to the community and supporting music education on a larger scale. Proceeds benefit Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s community outreach and education programs, including Young Strings and Young Musicians that will benefit over 14,000 students, making a positive impact for under-served youth in Dallas and throughout North Texas.
Photo by Suzanne Austin
Key to photo
Cash Nix, Ela Austin, Caroline Woram, Nancy Labadie, Terry Loftis, Cara Lichty, Ashton Krug, Baker Trent, Suzanne Austin