WIKIPEDIA:

“ New York Philharmonic logo
The New York Philharmonic (officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York) is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". The Philharmonic's home is Avery Fisher Hall, located in New York's Lincoln Center.
Organized in 1842, the orchestra is older than any other extant American symphonic institution by nearly four decades; its record-setting 14,000th concert was given in December 2004.
Alan Gilbert is the Philharmonic's current music director and Zarin Mehta (brother of former music director Zubin Mehta) is the orchestra's current president.

History

Founding and first concert, 1842
The orchestra was founded by the American-born conductor Ureli Corelli Hill in 1842 as the Philharmonic Society of New York – the third Philharmonic on American soil since 1799, declaring as its purpose "the advancement of instrumental music." The first concert of the New York Philharmonic took place on December 7, 1842 in the Apollo Rooms on lower Broadway before an audience of 600. The concert opened with Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, led by Hill himself. Two other conductors, German-born Henry Christian Timm and French-born Denis Etienne, led parts [......] ”

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