Founded: 1842 - New York, USA

The New York Philharmonic (= NYPO), the oldest symphony orchestra in the USA and one of the oldest in the world, has played a leading role in American musical life since its founding in 1842. The NYPO has always championed the new music of its day, giving many important works, such as Dvorák's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World," their first performances. The pioneering spirit of the NYPO continues, with works by major contemporary composers scheduled each season. In 1991 Kurt Masur became Music Director of the NYPO, bringing his personal stamp to an Orchestra that has felt the influences of Mahler, Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein, Boulez, and Mehta. Among the many distinguished composers, conductors, and soloists who have performed with the NYPO are Anton Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky, Dvorák, Richard Strauss, Sergei Rachmaninov, and Stravinsky.

Today the NYPO plays some 200 concerts a year, most of them in Avery Fisher Hall, during the 35 weeks of its subscription season. In 1922, the NYPO was the first major orchestra to broadcast a live concert. Decades later a television series hosted by Leonard Bernstein, the CBS Young People's Concerts, captured young imaginations. Since 1976, the NYPO has appeared regularly on "Live From Lincoln Center." The NYPO is the country's only symphony orchestra to be radio-broadcast live on a national scale, and on a regular basis. On February 18, 1999, the NYPO performed its 13,000^th concert–a milestone unmatched by any other orchestra.

Previous Music Directors, Music Advisors and Principal Conductors of the NYPO include:

Ureli Corelli Hill (1842-1847)
Theodore Eisfeld (1848-1865)
Carl Bergmann (1855-1876)
Leopold Damrosch (1876-1877)
Theodore Thomas (1877-1891)
Anton Seidl (1891-1898)
Emil Paur (1898-1902)
Walter Damrosch (1902-1903)
Wassily Safonoff (1906-1909)
Gustav Mahler (1909-1911)
Josef Stransky (1911-1923)
Willem Mengelberg (1922-1930)
Arturo Toscanini (1928-1936)
John Barbirolli (1936-1941)
Artur Rodzinski (1943-1947)
Bruno Walter (1947-1949)
Leopold Stokowski (1949-1950)
Dimitri Mitropoulos (1949-1958)
Leonard Bernstein (1958-1969)
George Szell (1969-1970)
Pierre Boulez (1971-1977)
Zubin Mehta (1978-1991)
Kurt Masur (1991-present)

Source: New York Philharmonic Orchestra Website (2001-2002)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (August 2001)

Leonard Bernstein: Short Biography | New York Philharmonic Orchestra | Recordings | General Discussions | BWV 244 - Bernstein

Bruno Walter: Short Biography | New York Philharmonic Orchestra | BWV 244 - Walter

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BWV 244

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