Archives Features

Features

Exhibits, podcasts, and other special projects from the Archives.

Igor Stravinsky seated at a piano in dramatic silhouette

Igor Stravinsky's U.S. Debut

How the New York Philharmonic orchestrated the first North American appearances of the enigmatic composer.

Collage of a photo of Dimitri Mitropoulos superimposed on details of his marked scores.

Dimitri Mitropoulos Marked Scores

120+ never-before-seen scores marked by the NY Phil’s former Music Director are now publicly available thanks to a collaboration with the University of Iowa Rita Benton Music Library. Dive into the unique marking style of Mitropoulos, who committed all his scores to memory before performing them.

Photo of harpist Stephanie Goldner with male colleagues.

Women Pioneers of the NY Phil

Meet the women who have been breaking the glass ceiling since 1842 in this Google Arts & Culture exhibit.

The New York Philharmonic in Europe

Touring has been part of the New York Philharmonic's DNA since its first international trip to Europe, in 1930. Join the Orchestra on a virtual journey through its history in London, Cologne, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Berlin, and Dresden — cities it had been scheduled to visit in May 2020.

Photo of Leonard Bernstein writing at a desk with the image of a handwritten letter of his superimposed.

#dailydocument from the Archives

In support of our audience, researchers, and online community of music lovers during the current public health crisis, the archivists will post a #dailydocument for those who would like to dive deeper into the Digital Archives collections.

Photo of harpist Steffy Goldner with harp.

The Philharmonic’s First Woman

Harpist Stephanie "Steffy" Goldner (1896-1962) was the New York Philharmonic’s first woman musician. As part of Project 19, the Philharmonic’s celebration of the centennial of the 19th amendment which gave American women the right to vote, the Philharmonic Archives is telling the story of Steffy for the first time.

Photo of the New York City skyline with lights representing the Twin Towers.

Times of Strife

The Philharmonic looks back on how it has responded to tragedy with music, from the assassinations of Lincoln and JFK to World War II and September 11.

Listening Through Time

Listen as current and former New York Philharmonic musicians explore the history of the Orchestra through its recordings, in conversation with Philharmonic Archivist and Historian Emerita Barbara Haws.

Engraving of Abraham Lincoln superimposed on a page of Copland's score.

A Lincoln Portrait

Copland’s A Lincoln Portrait is a dramatic work for orchestra and narrator that uses Lincoln’s own words as the text. This online exhibit highlights the tradition of having narrators sign the score, and also features audio clips by luminaries ranging from Carl Sandburg and Henry Fonda to Marian Anderson and Joe Torre.

Detail of an autographed portrait of Rachmaninoff.

Rachmaninoff and the New York Philharmonic

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s relationship with the New York Philharmonic began during his first trip to America in 1909 and continued until just a few months before his death in 1943. It became one of the most unique and demanding partnerships in the Orchestra’s history.

Aerial images of Vienna and New York City.

Vienna and New York: 175 Years of Two Philharmonics

Take a virtual tour of an unprecedented exhibition of archival material from two of the world’s oldest orchestras, both of which played their inaugural concerts in 1842.

Concerts in the Parks Exhibits

Google Arts & Culture exhibits celebrating the New York Philharmonic's free outdoor summer series since 1965.

Photo of audience and orchestra at a Concerts in the Parks event.

Top 10 Concerts in the Parks Moments

Memorable moments from past Concerts in the Parks.

Collage of a drawing and photo of a Concerts in the Parks event.

Priceless Music, Absolutely Free

How the Philharmonic launched a tradition of Concerts in the Parks.

Mahler Exhibits

In the spring of 2020 the Archives teamed up with Google Arts & Culture to present a series of digital exhibits on the life and work of Gustav Mahler.

Mahler in New York

Gustav Mahler, his wife, Alma, and their daughter, Anna, made their home in New York from 1908 to 1911. It was a time of sweeping social change — women’s suffrage was a growing movement, unions were on the rise, and the Upper West Side was the hot new neighborhood.

Mahler’s First Symphony

When Mahler conducted the world premiere of his First Symphony in 1889 in Budapest, he called it a “Symphonic Poem,” with poetic movement titles like “Under Full Sail.” By the time he conducted the First’s American debut with the New York Philharmonic, Mahler had banished explanatory descriptions of its “meaning” and let the music stand on its own.

Drawing of a silhouette of Mahler conducting.

Mahler as Interpreter

At the New York Philharmonic, Mahler — for the first time in his life — could focus exclusively on symphonic music. He had no major administrative duties, could shape the repertoire to his liking, and led more works, by more composers, than ever before.

Mahler and Women

Women figured prominently in Gustav Mahler’s life in New York. In fact, he came to the Philharmonic in 1909 thanks to one resolute woman: Mary Seney Sheldon, a wealthy socialite determined to transform the Orchestra, then 67 years old, into a world-class ensemble.

Photo of Gustav Mahler conducting the New York Philharmonic.

Mahler and Musicians

During the few short months before Mahler officially took over the New York Philharmonic in November 1909, he began radically remaking the Orchestra. What had been a respected ensemble began to grow into a musical powerhouse.

Photo of Gustav Mahler superimposed on a historical map of New York City.

Walking Mahler’s New York:
A Digital Walking Tour

Musicians of the New York Philharmonic lead you on a tour of the New York City Mahler knew as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, then and now.