Activities

As described by the charity on the register

The principal activity of the LSO is the provision of a Symphony Orchestra for high quality musical performances, broadcasting and recordings and supporting this work with a music education programme designed to reach a wide range of people.

Latest income

£28.8m

Expenditure

£24.6m

Financial year end

2025-07-31

Income & spending history

As reported to the Charity Commission, by financial year end

Year end Income Expenditure income spend
2021-07-31 £11.8m £12.2m
2022-07-31 £21.1m £18.3m
2023-07-31 £21.5m £21.1m
2024-07-31 £21.1m £20.0m
2025-07-31 £28.8m £24.6m

Latest detailed return

Year end 2025-07-31 · consolidated (group) figures

Income mix

Donations & legacies £11.9m
Charitable activities £12.5m
Trading £88k
Investment income £53k
Total income £28.8m

Spending

Charitable spend £23.0m
Raising funds £1.6m
Grants to institutions £0
Governance £67k
Total expenditure £24.6m

Balance sheet

Reserves £2.8m
Total funds £14.0m
— restricted £302k
— unrestricted £13.7m
— endowment £0
Total assets £14.0m
Cash £2.3m

People

Employees 84

Classification

The charity's own register classification

What it does

  • Education/training
  • Arts/culture/heritage/science

Who it helps

  • Children/young People
  • Elderly/old People
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/mankind

How it works

  • Provides Human Resources
  • Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space
  • Provides Services

Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales register, 2026-07-28. Detailed figures as filed in the charity's annual return. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.