Angela Costley Named Development Director

The Great Falls Symphony welcomes a new development director to help support the long-term growth and financial health of the organization.

Angela Costley brings over seventeen years of experience with the Great Falls Symphony. She holds a position in the violin section and has served on the orchestra council, the board of directors, and most recently has managed the Great Falls Symphony’s youth orchestra and educational programs. She has been involved with the Black Tie & Blue Jeans planning committee for over ten years, and has been instrumental in helping raise over $600,000 for the symphony during her tenure with the organization. Angela holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Wyoming. “Music has always been a wonderful creative outlet for me,” says Costley.

“I’m amazed by and grateful for the experiences I’ve had performing with the Great Falls Symphony. I truly believe that the Symphony is a treasure in our community, and I am honored to help the organization grow.”

Executive Director Hillary Shepherd says, “Our annual budget will most likely surpass a million dollars in the next three to five years, and our board of directors felt it was time to hire a development director to help support our growing organization. I cannot think of a better person than Angela to fill this role. She has been an incredible advocate for our mission for many, many years and I am so excited for her to join our team in this capacity!”

Only 33% of the Great Falls Symphony’s expenses are covered through the sale of tickets. Additionally, only about 8-10% of the symphony’s contributed revenue comes from grants. “That is why it is so important to develop, diversify and increase our fundraising efforts,” says Shepherd. “We want to be able to continue to fulfill our mission and take care of our musicians and staff. We exist to help make Great Falls a better place through music, and we truly wouldn’t be able to do that without the support of the people in this great community.”

The Great Falls Symphony reaches over 40,000 people annually through their programs and events. They present a classic symphony series, a chamber music series, Broadway in Great Falls, and they are partners in the Downtown Summer Jams 4th of July Hootenanny event. They are the only symphony in the state that has a youth orchestra program, which serves over 100 young musicians throughout the region. The Great Falls Symphony believes in enhancing the community through artistically excellent, live music experiences that bring people together.