Study: BSO has $166M impact

Seeking to position itself for what could be a $400 million fund-raising campaign, the Boston Symphony Orchestra yesterday released an economic-impact study that states it generates $166.7 million a year in Massachusetts.

The study, the first of its kind by the BSO, cost $30,000 and was done by Somerville's Mt. Auburn Associates. In 2002, the Museum of Fine Arts released the results of a similar study. The MFA was then in the early stages of what would become its $500 million campaign, which it hopes to wrap up later this year.

"We've been talking about our obvious impact for years," said Mark Volpe, the BSO's managing director. "We wanted to really study this and have an objective third party examine it in a more scientific way. The other thing is we are in the very quiet part of a fund-raising initiative. We wanted to show the depth of our contribution to the Commonwealth beyond the artistic content."

The 52-page study, which was tabulated from 1,159 responses to a January survey e-mailed to ticket buyers, along with financial data from the BSO and economic statistics, states that the BSO, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood generate $28 million a year from the spending of visitors, and another $138 million through business activities. In Suffolk County, the study pegs the BSO's annual economic impact at $136.3 million. It estimates $60.6 million in Berkshire County.

GEOFF EDGERS