SAINT LOUIS SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES $5.5 MILLION IN NEW GRANTS FROM CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS

ST. LOUIS, September 4, 2002 - Generous grants from St. Louis corporations and foundations are bolstering the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's drive to achieve financial health, and pushing the Symphony closer to the $40 million it needs to raise to match the Taylor Family Challenge.

        The latest round of grants includes $3 million from Emerson ($1 million of which is for annual operations); $1 million from the Whitaker Foundation; $625,000 from the Mary Ranken and Ettie A. Jordan Charitable Foundation; $500,000 each from Anheuser-Busch Foundation and MetLife Foundation; and $400,000 from the Edison family. These gifts come on the heels of a recently announced grant of $1 million from The May Department Stores Company, and bring the Symphony to within $13.5 million of its goal of raising $40 million by December 31, 2004, to meet the Taylor match. 

        "We are pleased to be part of the community-wide effort to save one of St. Louis' most treasured institutions," said David N. Farr, chief executive officer of Emerson.  "We also appreciate the steps everyone at the Symphony has taken to define a clear vision for the future and strengthen the organization and its financial position, and we look forward to the continuing achievements of this renowned orchestra."

        "It is important to the Whitaker Foundation to know our grant helps secure in part the generous gift made possible by the Taylor family," said Christy Gray, executive director of the Whitaker Foundation.  "The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is a vital part of our community."

        "We are pleased to join the efforts to help the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra regain its financial health and are confident the organization will continue its artistic excellence to the benefit not only of the St. Louis community but the entire country," said Sibyl Jacobson, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation.

"Anheuser-Busch is proud to support the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra," said Patrick T. Stokes, president and chief executive officer of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.  "The orchestra is an integral part of the community and we are pleased to support a fundraising effort aimed at ensuring that the Symphony is enjoyed by generations of St. Louis music lovers to come."

To date, the money raised by the Symphony has come equally from individuals, foundations and corporations.  The donations announced today indicate increasing support from a growing number of companies and foundations that are committed to the Symphony's long-term well-being. Other significant corporate contributions already announced include $3 million from Edward Jones and $1 million from AmerenUE.

"We are extremely gratified by these demonstrations of corporate and foundation support," said Dr. Virginia Weldon, chairman of the Symphony's Board of Trustees.  "They demonstrate that all parts of the community are rallying to preserve this institution as one of the great music-making ensembles in the world."

        The Taylor challenge was established in December 2000, and was made possible through the generosity of Jack and Susan Taylor, Andrew and Barbara Taylor, Jo Ann Taylor Kindle and the entire Taylor family.  Of the $80 million generated by the challenge, $70 million will be used to build the Orchestra's endowment.

        The Symphony also has received a two-year, $350,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and a three-year, $850,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  Through its grant from the Knight Foundation, the Symphony will continue and expand audience development and professional training activities in collaboration with four other orchestras across the country.  The grant from the Mellon Foundation will underwrite enhancements to the Symphony's education programs, the creation of a long-range artistic plan, additional audience development initiatives, and leadership coaching.  These grants are not counted toward the Taylor challenge.  

        Meanwhile, the Symphony is pleased to announce that Mrs. Carole Buck, widow of the late Jack Buck, will join Marjorie Ivey as co-chair of the Friends campaign. Mrs. Buck follows in the footsteps of her late husband, who served as co-chair with Ms. Ivey last year.

        The Friends program, which enlists donors to the Symphony's Annual Giving Program, has grown significantly since last year, both in members and in financial support to the Symphony. The group's membership now boasts approximately 8,400 Friends - 2,300 of whom had never supported the Orchestra before. 

        "It will mean a great deal to me and my family to follow in Jack's footsteps in this effort," Mrs. Buck said.  "I have always been a great music lover and fan of the Symphony."