PIANO SPHERES
Cite this
Plain text PIANO SPHERES. Strategy Studio, nonprofit organization profile, tax years 2020–2024. https://strategystudio.org/org/912106973. Retrieved 2026-10-20.
APA Strategy Studio. (n.d.). PIANO SPHERES [Nonprofit organization profile; tax years 2020–2024]. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://strategystudio.org/org/912106973
MLA “PIANO SPHERES.” Strategy Studio, tax years 2020–2024, https://strategystudio.org/org/912106973. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.
Retrieved 2026-10-20; covers tax years 2020–2024. Data: Strategy Studio, CC BY 4.0.
2024 · Form 990 · revenue $223K · expenses $190K · assets $69K
- EIN
- 91-2106973
- Address
- 4209 VIA ARBOLADA UNIT 231, LOS ANGELES, CA 90042-5095
- Website
- PianoSpheres.org
- NTEE code
- A68
- Subsection
- 501(c)(3)
- Ruling year
- 2001
- Cross-check
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Mission
Piano Spheres supports the composition and performance of major new works for the piano. They commission new music and sustain several concert series focusing primarily on music by living American composers. Piano Spheres artists also educate the next generation of pianists through their Emerging Artist Series and Stein Artist Residency.
Each tax year counts once: when a return was amended, only the latest return for that period is used below (superseded returns stay listed, greyed, under Finances).
People paid by the organization
5 people paid across every filing: current people first, then by total pay from this organization. Organizations counts every nonprofit each person appears on.
| Name | Latest title | Years | Latest year pay | Total pay from here | Organizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Gauthier | Executive Director | 2022-2024 | $39,000 | $93,860 | 1 |
| Heidi Lesemann | Treasurer | 2022-2024 | $12,000 | $32,380 | 2 |
| Richard An | Assistant Director | 2023-2024 | $12,100 | $24,200 | 1 |
| Thomas Welsh | Associate Director | 2024 | $16,100 | $16,100 | 1 |
| Brandon J Rolle (former) | Associate Director | 2023 | $20,000 | $20,000 | 1 |
Officers and directors, no compensation reported
13 people listed on the returns with $0 (or no amount) in every compensation column: current people first. Hours are as filed on the latest return each person appears on.
| Name | Latest title | Years | Hrs/wk (latest) | Compensation | Organizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jess Morton | President | 2020-2024 | 1 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Mary Hannon | Secretary | 2020-2024 | 1 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Katherine Kotcheff | Member | 2023-2024 | 1 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Mark Saltzman | Member | 2020-2024 | 1 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Vicki Ray | Member | 2024 | 1 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Hunter Ochs | Member | 2023-2024 | 1 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Aron Kallay (former) | Foundation Mgr. | 2022-2023 | 3 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Catherine Uniack (former) | Foundation Mgr. | 2020-2023 | 0 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Karl Montevirgen (former) | TREASURER | 2020-2022 | 3 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Katherine Colbert (former) | MEMBER | 2020-2022 | 3 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Sarah Gibson (former) | Member | 2020-2021 | 3 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Latherine Colbert (former) | Member | 2021 | 3 | $0 reported | 1 |
| Thomas Kotcheff (former) | Artist' Representative | 2020 | 3 | $0 reported | 1 |
People by year
2024 · 10 people listed · 4 paid, $79K · 0 employees
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Gauthier | Executive Director | 20 | $39,000 | $0 | $0 | $39,000 | 1 |
| Thomas Welsh | Associate Director | 15 | $16,100 | $0 | $0 | $16,100 | 1 |
| Richard An | Assistant Director | 5 | $12,100 | $0 | $0 | $12,100 | 1 |
| Heidi Lesemann | Treasurer | 5 | $12,000 | $0 | $0 | $12,000 | 2 |
| Jess Morton | President | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Mary Hannon | Secretary | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Katherine Kotcheff | Member | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Mark Saltzman | Member | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Vicki Ray | Member | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Hunter Ochs | Member | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
2023 · 11 people listed · 3 paid, $62K
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEFF GAUTHIER | Executive Dir. | 20 | $30,000 | - | - | $30,000 | 1 |
| Brandon J Rolle | Associate Director | 0 | $20,000 | - | - | $20,000 | 1 |
| Richard An | Assistant Director | 0 | $12,100 | - | - | $12,100 | 1 |
| JESS MORTON | President | 5 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| MARY HANNON | Secretary | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| ARON KALLAY | Foundation Mgr. | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| KATHERINE KOTCHEFF | Foundation Mgr. | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| MARK SALTZMAN | Foundation Mgr. | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| HEIDI LESEMANN | Treasurer | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 2 |
| Catherine Uniack | Foundation Mgr. | 0 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| Hunter Ochs | Foundation Mgr. | 0 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
2022 · 9 people listed · 2 paid, $45K · 0 employees · 10 volunteers
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEFF GAUTHIER | MEMBER ED EX-OFFICIO | 20 | $24,860 | $0 | $0 | $24,860 | 1 |
| HEIDI LESEMANN | TREASURER EX-OFFICIO | 20 | $20,380 | $0 | $0 | $20,380 | 2 |
| JESS MORTON | PRESIDENT | 5 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| MARY HANNON | SECRETARY | 3 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| KARL MONTEVIRGEN | TREASURER | 3 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| ARON KALLAY | ARTISTS' REPRESENTATIVE | 3 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| KATHERINE COLBERT | MEMBER | 3 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| MARK SALTZMAN | MEMBER | 3 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| CATHERINE UNIACK | MEMBER | 3 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 |
2021 · 7 people listed · none paid
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jess Morton | President | 5 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Mary Hannon | Secretary | 3 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Karl Montevirgen | Treasurer | 3 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Sarah Gibson | Member | 3 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Latherine Colbert | Member | 3 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Mark Saltzman | Member | 3 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
| Catherine Uniack | Member | 3 | $0 | - | $0 | $0 | 1 |
2020 · 8 people listed · none paid
| Name | Title | Hrs/wk | From org | From related | Other | Total | Orgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jess Morton | President | 5 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| Mary Hannon | Secretary | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| Karl Montevirgen | Treasurer | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| Sarah Gibson | Artists' Representative | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| Thomas Kotcheff | Artist' Representative | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| Katherine Colbert | Board Member | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| Mark Saltzman | Board Member | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
| Catherine Uniack | Board Member | 3 | $0 | - | - | $0 | 1 |
Highest-paid independent contractors
No independent contractors reported.
Who gave
Contributor names are not public for this form type.
Public charities filing Form 990 or 990-EZ report large donors on Schedule B, but the IRS withholds their names and addresses from public copies. Private foundations (990-PF) are different: their contributors are public.
Finances
Newest first. Each filing: its name on one row, its figures on the row beneath. Greyed filings are superseded by a later return for the same period and are left out everywhere else on this page.
| Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Net assets | Contributions | Program revenue | Officer pay | Employees | Volunteers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 · Form 990 | ||||||||
| $222,590 | $190,237 | $68,737 | $60,438 | $212,926 | $16,697 | $67,200 | 0 | - |
| 2023 · Form 990EZ | ||||||||
| $124,335 | $181,243 | $50,135 | $39,035 | $116,234 | $8,001 | - | - | - |
| 2022 · Form 990 | ||||||||
| $251,076 | $216,705 | $99,643 | $98,068 | $236,141 | $14,825 | $0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2021 · Form 990EZ | ||||||||
| $132,877 | $149,464 | $73,324 | $63,697 | $54,840 | $66,052 | - | - | - |
| 2020 · Form 990EZ | ||||||||
| $181,042 | $134,257 | $81,551 | $77,134 | $180,062 | $866 | - | - | - |
Funders of this organization
15 grantors reported grants to this organization, $242,934 in all, tax years 2014 to 2024. Exact: the grantor wrote this organization's EIN. Fuzzy: the grantor wrote only a name (foundations' 990-PF has no EIN field), matched to the same or a near-identical name in the same state; the name as filed is shown. From the latest return for each grantor and year, so amended returns aren't counted twice. CSV
| Grantor | Type | Match | Years given | Grants | Total | Latest year | Latest year's amount | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMERICAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION INC | DAF sponsor | Exact | 2024 | 1 | $51,204 | 2024 | $51,204 | show |
| PERENCHIO FOUNDATION | Private foundation | Fuzzy filed as “PIANO SPHERES” | 2024 | 1 | $50,000 | 2024 | $50,000 | show |
| DONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING | DAF sponsor | Exact | 2016, 2018-2019, 2021-2023 | 6 | $41,900 | 2023 | $6,000 | show |
| CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | DAF sponsor | Exact | 2018, 2024 | 2 | $22,000 | 2024 | $15,000 | show |
| COLBURN FOUNDATION | Private foundation | Fuzzy filed as “PIANO SPHERES” | 2014, 2016 | 2 | $20,000 | 2016 | $10,000 | show |
| NEW MUSIC USA INC | Public charity | Exact | 2021, 2024 | 2 | $17,000 | 2024 | $10,000 | show |
| MEDIATHE FOUNDATION INC | Private foundation | Fuzzy filed as “PIANO SPHERES” | 2020, 2022-2024 | 4 | $14,000 | 2024 | $4,000 | show |
| MID ATLANTIC ARTS INC | Public charity | Exact | 2019 | 1 | $6,660 | 2019 | $6,660 | show |
| ANN AND GORDON GETTY FOUNDATION | Private foundation | Fuzzy filed as “PIANO SPHERES” | 2020 | 1 | $6,000 | 2020 | $6,000 | show |
| PAYPAL CHARITABLE GIVING FUND | DAF sponsor | Exact | 2023 | 1 | $5,749 | 2023 | $5,749 | show |
| THE AMPHION FOUNDATION INC | Private foundation | Fuzzy filed as “PIANO SPHERES” | 2024 | 1 | $4,000 | 2024 | $4,000 | show |
| AARON COPLAND FUND FOR MUSIC INC | Private foundation | Fuzzy filed as “PIANO SPHERES” | 2022 | 1 | $3,000 | 2022 | $3,000 | show |
| LENORE S & BERNARD A GREENBERG FUND | Private foundation | Fuzzy filed as “Piano Spheres” | 2024 | 1 | $1,000 | 2024 | $1,000 | show |
| J PAUL GETTY TRUST | Private foundation | Fuzzy filed as “Piano Spheres” | 2016 | 1 | $400 | 2016 | $400 | show |
| AMAZONSMILE FOUNDATION | Private foundation | Fuzzy filed as “PIANO SPHERES” | 2022-2023 | 2 | $21 | 2023 | $16 | show |
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Who funds organizations like this
Grantors that funded the 100 most similar organizations. Ranked by total given to them. Foundations (990-PF) and donor-advised fund sponsors only. Same matching as Funders above (by EIN, or by name for foundations).
The full list · all similar organizations
Where the money went
Every expense line on each return, biggest first: Form 990 Part IX (with its program, management and fundraising columns), 990-EZ Part I, or 990-PF Part I. Event marks lines the organization itself describes as events. “Events” in each summary adds those lines, conferences and meetings, and the direct costs of fundraising events. Unusual is not the same as improper. Many of these patterns have ordinary explanations. Check the filing.
2024 · Form 990 · $190,237 spent · pay $67,200 · grants $0 · events $33,852
| Line | As described | Total | Program | Management | Fundraising | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay: officers, directors, trustees, key employees | $67,200 | $43,270 | $12,570 | $11,360 | 35.3% | |
| Conferences, conventions and meetings | $33,852 | $24,325 | $2,494 | $7,033 | 17.8% | |
| Fees: other services | $29,755 | $29,755 | - | - | 15.6% | |
| Advertising and promotion | $16,203 | $11,978 | $2,025 | $2,200 | 8.5% | |
| Fees: management | $12,000 | $3,000 | $6,000 | $3,000 | 6.3% | |
| Other (as described) | Recording and lighting fees | $8,760 | $8,760 | - | - | 4.6% |
| Fees: accounting | $7,843 | - | $7,843 | - | 4.1% | |
| Office expenses | $7,331 | $3,452 | $3,235 | $644 | 3.9% | |
| Information technology | $5,557 | $39 | $4,810 | $708 | 2.9% | |
| Other (as described) | Ticketing costs | $2,685 | $2,611 | $74 | - | 1.4% |
| Travel | $2,552 | $2,552 | - | - | 1.3% | |
| Insurance | $2,375 | - | $2,375 | - | 1.2% | |
| Occupancy | $732 | - | $732 | - | 0.4% | |
| Royalties | $425 | $425 | - | - | 0.2% | |
| Other (as described) Event | Amount allocated to fundraiser | -$7,033 | - | - | -$7,033 | -3.7% |
| Fundraising events Event | direct expenses; gross income - | $7,033 | reported apart | |||
| Total | $190,237 | 100% |
2023 · Form 990EZ · $181,243 spent · pay $62,100 · grants $0 · events $0
| Line | As described | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other expenses (detail on Schedule O) | $85,312 | 47.1% | |
| Salaries, other pay and benefits | $62,100 | 34.3% | |
| Fees to independent contractors | $25,252 | 13.9% | |
| Printing, publications, postage | $8,197 | 4.5% | |
| Occupancy, rent, utilities, maintenance | $382 | 0.2% | |
| Total | $181,243 | 100% |
2022 · Form 990 · $216,705 spent · pay $0 · grants $0 · events $0
| Line | As described | Total | Program | Management | Fundraising | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other (as described) | Program Expenses | $113,616 | $113,616 | $0 | $0 | 52.4% |
| Fees: management | $63,984 | $32,088 | $19,497 | $12,399 | 29.5% | |
| Advertising and promotion | $15,346 | $15,346 | $0 | $0 | 7.1% | |
| Other (as described) | Fundraising Expenses | $10,152 | $0 | $0 | $10,152 | 4.7% |
| Office expenses | $5,815 | $3,295 | $1,551 | $969 | 2.7% | |
| Fees: accounting | $3,414 | $0 | $3,414 | $0 | 1.6% | |
| Occupancy | $1,776 | $1,006 | $473 | $296 | 0.8% | |
| Insurance | $1,634 | $926 | $436 | $272 | 0.8% | |
| Royalties | $968 | $968 | $0 | $0 | 0.4% | |
| Total | $216,705 | 100% |
2021 · Form 990EZ · $149,464 spent · pay $0 · grants $0 · events $330
| Line | As described | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fees to independent contractors | $104,363 | 69.8% | |
| Other expenses (detail on Schedule O) | $40,813 | 27.3% | |
| Printing, publications, postage | $4,288 | 2.9% | |
| Fundraising events Event | direct expenses; gross income - | $330 | reported apart |
| Total | $149,464 | 100% |
2020 · Form 990EZ · $134,257 spent · pay $0 · grants $0 · events $0
| Line | As described | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fees to independent contractors | $106,240 | 79.1% | |
| Other expenses (detail on Schedule O) | $26,582 | 19.8% | |
| Occupancy, rent, utilities, maintenance | $1,036 | 0.8% | |
| Printing, publications, postage | $399 | 0.3% | |
| Total | $134,257 | 100% |