The Eastern Wind Symphony Competitors

The Boston Symphony Orchestra gave its inaugural concert in 1881, realizing the dream of its founder, the Civil War veteran/businessman/philanthropist Henry Lee Higginson, who envisioned a great and permanent orchestra in his hometown of Boston. Today the BSO and Boston Pops reach millions of listeners through not only their concert performances in Boston and at Tanglewood, but also via digital programs on BSO NOW, radio, television, educational programs, recordings, and tours.

Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic plays a leading cultural role in New York City, the United States, and the world. Each season the Orchestra connects with millions of music lovers through live concerts in New York and beyond, as well as broadcasts, recordings, and education programs. Gustavo Dudamel becomes the New York Philharmonic’s Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Music & Artistic Director in September 2026, having served as Music & Artistic Director Designate in 2025–26. The Orchestra’s 2026–27 season, which marks the beginning of Dudamel’s tenure, ushers in a dynamic new era of artistic growth, groundbreaking collaboration, forward-thinking programming, and deeper community engagement.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, known for its artistic excellence for more than 120 years, is credited with a rich history of the world’s finest conductors and musicians, and a strong commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its citizens. Past music directors have included Fritz Reiner (1938-1948), William Steinberg (1952-1976), André Previn (1976-1984), Lorin Maazel (1984-1996) and Mariss Jansons (1995-2004). This tradition of outstanding music directors was furthered in fall 2008, when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck became music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony. The orchestra has been at the forefront of championing new American works, and gave the first performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah” in 1944 and John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine in 1986. The Pittsburgh Symphony has a long and illustrious history in the areas of recordings and radio concerts. Its “Pittsburgh Live!” series with Reference Recordings has resulted in back-to-back Grammy Award nominations in 2015 and 2016. As early as 1936, the Pittsburgh Symphony radio broadcasts aired nationally and in the late 1970s it made the ground breaking PBS series “Previn and the Pittsburgh.” Since 1982, the orchestra has been heard through national network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International, produced by Classical WQED-FM, made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. At home in historic Heinz Hall, the Pittsburgh Symphony offers a variety of musical experiences, including its BNY Mellon Grand Classics and PNC Pops series, FUSE@PSO series, Fiddlesticks Family Concerts series, specials, and numerous community engagement and education concerts throughout the region. With a long and distinguished history of touring both domestically and overseas since 1900 — including international tours to Europe, the Far East and South America—the Pittsburgh Symphony continues to be critically acclaimed as one of the world’s greatest orchestras.