A small orchestra gift from neighbour Getty

The Berkeley Symphony today received a ‘transformative’ $1.5 million gift from Gordon Getty.

“We are profoundly grateful to Gordon Getty for his extremely generous gift and for his unwavering support and friendship to Berkeley Symphony,” says René Mandel, Artistic Director of Berkeley Symphony. “Berkeley Symphony is a champion of music from all eras, and has been a trendsetter of new works by living composers since its inception. This gift enables us to continue this tradition through diverse programming and the growth of our educational programs. Our entire community deeply appreciates Gordon Getty’s largesse and we cannot thank him enough.”

It’s all relative, of course.

The oil magnate has previously given $15m to the University of San Francisco and $150 million from a Sotheby’s sale to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Symphony, Berkeley Geochronology Center and The Leakey Foundation.

Looks like giving in factors of 10.