Bangor Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1896, the Bangor Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is a cultural cornerstone in Maine — one of the oldest continually operating orchestras in the U.S. The organization is known for its commitment to music education, artistic excellence, and building community through classical music.

How a Fresh Creative Strategy Helped the BSO Celebrate Legacy, Energize Engagement, and Hit All the Right Notes for a New Generation of Concertgoers

The Challenge

As the Bangor Symphony Orchestra (BSO) prepared to launch its 130th season, the organization wanted to elevate its creative approach. They needed a dynamic, unified campaign that would:

• Reflect the energy and ambition of the season’s programming
• Spark enthusiasm among current subscribers and appeal to new audiences
• Present the orchestra in a way that felt both rooted in tradition and ready for the future

Beyond that, the BSO team wanted a system they could sustain—one that made high-quality, multi-platform storytelling not just possible, but practical.

The Objective

• Refresh and elevate seasonal marketing materials with a modern, celebratory tone
• Produce high-quality videos to promote concerts and deepen digital engagement
• Expand visual and digital presence while maintaining brand alignment and reverence for BSO’s long-standing legacy
• Create a cost-effective, repeatable campaign model for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 seasons

The Strategy

Working closely with BSO’s leadership and marketing team, we reimagined how the orchestra could tell its story—visually, emotionally, and across platforms.

The core idea? Let the music take the spotlight—but give it a modern frame.

We developed a creative campaign that celebrated the legacy of the orchestra while introducing an updated, energetic aesthetic. Our approach emphasized:

• Contemporary design: We refreshed the brochure with bold photography, striking color palettes, and a more intuitive layout highlighting key concerts and themes. The new design nodded to classical tradition but embraced a more magazine-inspired feel.
• Video storytelling: We produced a suite of concert trailers and season overview videos that pair beautiful visuals with dynamic scoring and narration—ideal for use on social media, at events, and in digital marketing.
• Unified messaging: Every element—from print to digital to video—was created to work together. We ensured a consistent look and tone that reinforced the themes of celebration, accessibility, and excitement.
• Built-in flexibility: Knowing that orchestras plan seasons in advance but engage audiences in real-time, we created templates and modular content that the BSO team can adapt and deploy throughout the year.