Boston Symphony Orchestra

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Boston Symphony Orchestra. One of great orchs. of world, founded at Boston, Mass., 1881 by Henry Lee Higginson who endowed it with a million dollars. First concert 22 Oct. 1881, cond. by Sir George Henschel who was cond. 1881–4. He was succeeded by Wilhelm Gericke 1884–9; Nikisch 1889–93; Emil Paur 1893–8; Gericke 1898–1906; Karl Muck 1906–8; Max Fiedler 1908–12; Muck 1912–18; Henri Rabaud 1918–19; Pierre Monteux 1919–24; Serge Koussevitzky 1924–49; Charles Munch 1949–62; Erich Leinsdorf 1962–9; William Steinberg 1969–72; Seiji Ozawa 1973–2004; James Levine from 2004. Salzburg Fest. début 1979. Koussevitzky's 25-year tenure was outstanding for its encouragement of new works both by Amer. composers and by est. composers such as Prokofiev, Stravinsky, and Bartók. See Tanglewood.

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Boston Symphony Orchestra

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