Performance History Help

New York Philharmonic Performance History Search contains all of the Orchestra’s concerts beginning with December 7, 1842, up to last night’s concert. It includes both the New York Philharmonic and the New York Symphony, which was founded in 1878 by Leopold Damrosch and merged with the Philharmonic in 1928. The Search provides you with access to the performance history of every work, and of all artists – conductors, soloists, and assisting artists – who have performed with the orchestra. In addition to the large-scale concerts, you can learn about special events, tours, education concerts, and chamber music performances. As well, the "notes" field in the program is rich with information that has been gleaned from a variety of sources over the years, including archives files, program notes, and newspapers and other first-hand accounts. It is also indicated in the notes whenever the information at hand is incomplete.

The red icon indicates that the Digital Archives contains the printed program. The Performance History includes concerts where we do not have a physical program, but we have evidence that the concert has taken place. We have verified as much as possible about the concert and always welcome additional information that can be added to the Performance History.

Below are some detailed notes about each section that might help in your search or answer questions that arise during a search.

There are three different searches which are linked to one another.

I. Search by Composer/Work

Begin typing a composer's last name and select from the list, then enter the work title. If you do not know the composer's name, type the title into the works box and select from the works list. To see the complete repertoire for a given composer, leave the work field blank.

The work titles used are a shortened form that allows for easy ordering in the list. They are not intended to be the formal, complete title.

Click on a work title to bring up its performance history.

Search Results by Work

Only the first date, first location, first conductor, or first soloist/assisting artist are displayed. Rollover any one of these fields to see multiple entries, should they exist. The "#" column indicates the number of times this work was performed as part of this program, the "E" column indicates whether the work was performed as an encore. Click on the ID to view the complete program's information page. Click on the book icon to view the digitized program.

Note about Work Titles

Work titles have changed over the years and are at times incomplete or vague on the printed program page. In these cases, we have updated the title to today’s common usage or have indicated that some aspect of the work remains unknown to us.

II. Search Artist's Performance History

Begin typing an artist's last name or ensemble name and select from the list.

Program History

Programs on which the selected soloist or ensemble appeared. Only the first date, first location, first conductor, or first soloist/assisting artist are displayed. Rollover any one of these fields to see multiple entries should they exist. The "#Perfs" column indicates how many times each program was performed. Click on the ID to view the program information page. Click on the book icon to view the digitized program.

Works Performed

Works performed or conducted by the selected artist or ensemble. The Role column indicates whether the artist appeared as a soloist (S) or an assisting artist (A). A soloist performs in front of the orchestra whereas an assisting artist plays in chamber events or in a support position in an orchestral work. The "#" column indicates the number of times the program was performed, the "E" column indicates whether the work was performed as an encore. Rollover the date field to see multiple entries should they exist.

III. Search Program History

The Definition of a Program:

A program is a specific combination of conductor, repertoire, and soloists/assisting artist. This combination of artists and repertoire may have occurred on more than one date and in more than one location. If the conductor, artist, or repertoire changes for any reason, such as an artist substitution, last minute encore one night but not the other, or an outdoor concert is cut short due to rain, this is considered a different program and is reflected as such in the database.

This search window allows you to organize your search by several methods. You may search by any single criterion or create a combined request using different fields. For example; you can find all concerts performed in Paris from 01/01/1980 to 01/01/1990. Please note that if you make your search too narrow, you may not receive any results.

Only the first conductor, first location, first venue, first date or first soloist/assisting artist are displayed. Rollover any one of these fields to see multiple entries should they exist. The "#Perfs" column indicates how many times each program was performed. Click on the ID to view the program information page. Click on the book icon to view the digitized program.

Search by Orchestra

This database captures the experience not only of the New York Philharmonic, but of the New York Symphony Society which merged with it in 1928, and the chamber music ensembles and other presentations which do not feature the entire orchestra and are indicated by either "Members of …" or their formal name. Below are the different Orchestras you can search by.

New York Philharmonic	Founded in 1842 by a group of local musicians led by U.C. Hill. Also known as Philharmonic Society of New York or, after the 1928 merger with the New York Symphony, the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York.
New York Symphony	Founded in 1878 by Leopold Damrosch. Also known as Symphony Society of New York or, after the 1928 merger with the New York Philharmonic, the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York.
Members of NY Philharmonic	A New York Philharmonic concert offered to, but not required of, all members of the Orchestra and conforming to all contract requirements.
Members of NY Symphony	A New York Symphony presentation performed by musicians from the Orchestra but not a performance by the "whole" Orchestra.
Musicians of the NY Philharmonic	A New York Philharmonic presentation performed by musicians from the Orchestra but not a performance by the "whole" Orchestra. These are most likely Philharmonic chamber concerts not performed by “NY Philharmonic Ensembles.”
NY Philharmonic Ensembles	Chamber music concerts organized and performed by Philharmonic musicians beginning in 1984. NOTE: this is an official title. There are Philharmonic chamber concerts performed by Philharmonic musicians but are not “NY Philharmonic Ensembles”
NYP Presentation	An event or concert that is presented by the New York Philharmonic, where Philharmonic members are not performing.
New/National Symphony	An orchestra that performed two seasons of concerts, 1919-20 to 1920-21, before merging with the Philharmonic in the fall of 1921.
Shanghai Orchestra Academy	Shanghai Orchestra Academy concerts featuring New York Philharmonic members as part of the Shanghai Orchestra Residency.
Stadium - NY Philharmonic	A summer series of concerts performed either officially by the New York Philharmonic (1922-1950) or unofficially by the Philharmonic musicians and known as the Stadium Orchestra (1951-1964).
Strike Orchestra (Philharmonic)	While on strike in 1973, the Philharmonic musicians gave concerts to raise money for their strike fund and to bring attention to their cause.

Search by Event

Only those categories that are not self-explanatory are defined.

Borough Concerts	A special series of concerts performed in the five boroughs of New York City
Carnegie Pop Concert	Post subscription series “pops” concerts at Carnegie Hall, 1946, 1950
Chamber	Any solo or small ensemble performance not of the entire Orchestra, which was open to the public
Chamber Concert (Private)	Chamber concerts given privately for Patrons or other supporters of the Orchestra
Contact!	A new music series begun in the 2009-10 season in venues outside of Avery Fisher Hall generally not using the entire Orchestra.
Hear & Now	Concerts that include discussion of contemporary music, 2005-06 to 2008-09
Holiday Brass	Concerts of holiday music featuring members of the New York Philharmonic Brass and Percussion sections with special guests
Horizons	Contemporary music festival presented in 1983, 1984 and 1986
Informal Evening	Non-Subscription orchestral concerts focused on the music of a single 20th-century composer accompanied with discussions hosted by Pierre Boulez, 1972-1974
Inside the Music	Concerts that include discussion of the work being performed, 2005-06 to 2008-09
Insight Series	Lecture series, often including live performances or demonstrations, hosted by the Education department
Leinsdorf Lecture	Annual lecture series, 1998-2011, endowed by Mrs. Vera Leinsdorf
New Year’s Eve	Non-Subscription New Year’s Eve concerts
Nightcap	Late-night chamber concerts curated by composers
NY Phil Biennial	Contemporary music festival presented biannually beginning in May, 2014
Non-Subscription	Full orchestra concerts that are not subscribed to
Off the Grid	Chamber music pop-up concerts with New York Philharmonic musicians in various venues around the city (2016-17)
Parks	Free outdoor concerts in the New York City area
Parks - Free Indoor Concert	Free indoor concerts as part of the Parks series
Pension Fund Benefit Concert	Concerts for the benefit of the musicians’ pension fund
Phil the Hall	Special concerts offered at a reduced rate to the larger New York City community
Pre-Concert Recital	Any solo or small ensemble performance not of the entire Orchestra, which take place directly prior to an Orchestra concert
Promenade	Developed by Andre Kostelanetz as a summer series in Philharmonic Hall,1962-63 to 1977-78
Prospective Encounters	Contemporary music and discussion series inaugurated by Pierre Boulez, 1971-1978
Residency	Concerts performed as part of residencies such as the Shanghai Orchestra Academy
Residency - Chamber	Chamber concerts performed as part of residencies such as the Shanghai Orchestra Academy
Rug Concerts	Started by Pierre Boulez as a summer, casual series of concerts, 1972-73 to 1976-77
Runout	A concert given out of town at a distance that does not require a hotel stay
Rush Hour	An abbreviated early-evening concert
St. John the Divine	Memorial Day Concerts at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
Sound ON	Contemporary music series at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appell Room
Special	Orchestra concerts for either private events or unusual occasions
Stadium Concerts	A summer series of inexpensive concerts at Lewisohn Stadium in Manhattan. The series began in 1918 and in 1922 the New York Philharmonic became the official orchestra for the concerts. From 1951 to 1964 the Philharmonic name was no longer used, being replaced by the Stadium Orchestra, but the players were still largely the musicians of the New York Philharmonic. This database currently includes Stadium performances from 1922 to 1964.
Strike Concerts	Concerts organized by the musicians while in a labor dispute with management in 1973
Student Concert	(aka Popular Concerts) A concerts series for high-school age students, 1926-27 to 1977-78
Subscription Season	Regular season concerts that include both subscription and non-subscription events
Summer Broadcast Concert	Summer concerts for radio broadcast only, without an audience since there was no air conditioning in Carnegie Hall (1943-45)
Summertime Classics	A post-subscription season summer series of themed concerts
Tour - Chamber	Chamber concert while on tour that is open to the public
Tour - Patron Chamber Event	A chamber concert while on tour given privately for Patrons or supporter of the Orchestra
Tour - Young People’s Concerts	Concerts on tour for children ages 6 and up and their families
Tour - Young People’s Concerts for Schools	Education concerts on tour performed only for schools; not open to the public
Tour - Very Young People’s Concert	Education concerts on tour for 3-5 year-olds using chamber size ensembles
Very Young People’s Concert	Education concerts for 3-5 year-olds using chamber size ensembles.
World Trade Center - Chamber	Chamber concerts performed shortly after 9/11 for those who lived and worked downtown
World’s Fair	Concerts at the 1939 World’s Fair
Young People’s Concert	Concerts for children ages 6 and up and their families.
Young People’s Concerts for Schools	Education concerts performed only for schools; not open to the public

Search by Location

The location table is organized by city followed by country. All cities within the United States are followed by state only and not the U.S. New York City is organized by borough: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Specific performing venues are listed next to these locations.

For more information on the Program Information Page, please see the help menu on the Digital Archives main site.

All data collected using this site for commercially published use should be confirmed and verified by contacting the New York Philharmonic Archives.

The New York Philharmonic is not responsible for the unauthorized use of any information.

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