Philadelphia Orchestra Association records, 1900-2023.

Format:

Other

Author/Creator:

Philadelphia Orchestra Association, creator.

Contributor:

The Philadelphia Orchestra Association and the Academy of Music Archives, former owner.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Muti, Riccardo.

Ormandy, Eugene, 1899-1985.

Ormandy, Eugene.

Stokowski, Leopold, 1882-1977.

Stokowski, Leopold.

Philadelphia Orchestra.

Academy of Music (Philadelphia, Pa.).

CBS Records (Firm).

Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.

Columbia Records, Inc.

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

Philadelphia Orchestra. Women's Committee.

RCA Victor Records.

Robin Hood Dell Orchestra of Philadelphia.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Conductors (Music).

Labor unions and the arts.

Music--Performance--History.

Music.

Orchestral music--History and criticism.

Orchestral music.

Pensions.

Radio and music.

Sound--Recording and reproducting--History.

Sound.

Symphony orchestras--United States.

Symphony orchestras.

Genre:

administrative records.

advertisements.

audiovisual materials.

bylaws (administrative records)

clippings (information artifacts)

correspondence.

financial records.

legal documents.

minutes (administrative records)

notes.

reports.

scrapbooks.

Account books.

Concert programs.

Contracts.

Photographs

Posters.

Press releases

Sound recordings

Penn Provenance:

Gift of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association, 2021.

Physical Description:

295 boxes (275 linear feet (currently available for research))

Arrangement:

Organized into 16 series: 1. Early correspondence and personnel files; 2. Organizational governance; 3. Administrative records; 4. Personnel files; 5. Financial management and accounting; 6. Ticket sales and subscriptions, box office and patrons; 7. Legal; 8. Labor unions; 9. Buildings, real estate, facilities and equipment; 10. Outreach, publicity and promotion; 11. Tours, out-of-town performances and venues; 12. Radio and television broadcasts, recordings and films (administrative files); 13. Organizations, companies and institutions external to The Philadelphia Orchestra Association; 14. Studies, surveys, statistics, reports and research inquiries.

Place of Publication:

1900-2023.

Language Note:

In English.

Biography/History:

The Philadelphia Orchestra was founded in 1900, and has developed and maintained its status as a prominent symphonic ensemble throughout its existence. Its history informs and intersects with the broader history of music in the twentieth century, as well as numerous historical movements, events and developments on a regional, national and global scale. Founded in 1900 under the musical directorship of Fritz Scheel, the Orchestra was backed financially by wealthy Philadelphians and the supportive efforts of its Women’s Committee. When Scheel died in 1907, he was followed briefly by Karl (sometimes “Carl”) Pohlig, who was then replaced with Leopold Stokowski in 1912. Stokowski’s nearly three decades as music director saw the Orchestra’s rise in status, its active production of early orchestral sound recordings, and its undertaking of North American tours. In 1931 Eugene Ormandy appeared as a last-minute replacement for scheduled guest-conductor Arturo Toscanini; his success at this engagement let to numerous guest-appearances with the Orchestra until 1936, when he became co-conductor with Stokowski until 1941, when he assumed musical leadership. He led the Orchestra until 1980. During Ormandy’s long tenure, The Philadelphia Orchestra became the most-recorded symphonic orchestra in the United States, producing over 1,200 recordings, and also undertook international tours – including its historic 1973 People’s Republic of China Tour. In 1957 The Philadelphia Orchestra Association purchased, restored and renovated the Academy of Music, which up to that point was privately owned and operated. The 1960s were rocked by labor disputes and strikes, punctuated by the landmark contract generated in 1963 which guaranteed Orchestra musicians fifty-two weeks of employment each year and paid vacations. In 1980, after serving as a regular guest conductor for the Orchestra for eight years, Riccardo Muti was named music director, and Ormandy assumed the position of conductor laureate, which he maintained until his death in 1985. Muti served as the Orchestra’s music director until 1992, and was succeeded by Wolfgang Sawallisch, who in turn became conductor laureate when Christoph Eschenbach assumed the role in 2003. During the 1980s, 1990s and the 2000s, the Orchestra continued its tradition of extensive touring with its 50th Anniversary transcontinental tour in 1986 and anniversary tours of China in 1993 and 2008; it also became the first American orchestra to visit Vietnam in 1999. In 2001 the Orchestra moved into its new primary performance venue at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Philadelphia. Charles Dutoit began a brief term as chief conductor in 2008, followed by Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s appointment as music director designate in 2010 and music director in 2012. He assumed leadership responsibilities amidst the Orchestra’s declaration of chapter 11 bankruptcy in the spring of 2011, from which it emerged the following summer after reorganizing. As of July 2024, Nézet-Séguin remains the music and artistic director of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Summary:

The records of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association document its history from 1900 through 2023. Materials in this collection include: internal governance documents (charters, agreements, resolutions and meeting minutes); correspondence (letters, memorandums, telegrams, faxes and emails); personnel, patron and volunteer records; financial records (account statements, bills, receipts and vouchers); legal documents; labor and union policies and agreements; architectural materials (plans, schematics, diagrams and renderings); promotional materials (news releases, brochures, booklets and pamphlets); press coverage (clippings, photocopies and printouts); contracts and letters of agreement; schedules (calendars, itineraries and datebooks); reports; photographs and slides; programs; scrapbooks; and audio and visual recordings. Please see the Scope and Contents descriptions for individual areas of the collection for more detailed information. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association records are closely related to other collections at Penn Libraries which cover the lives and careers of Leopold Stokowski and Eugene Ormandy, as well as the Orchestra's recording and touring activities. Please see the "Related Materials" note for a list of these collections. This collection is not fully processed. While materials listed here have been processed and are available for research, a significant portion of the collection, labeled "unavailable," remains in process and cannot be consulted at this time. As soon as additional portions of the collection are completed they will be made available via additions to this finding aid. The last addition of completed materials occurred on July 17, 2024.

OCLC:

1417232817