The Austin Symphony Orchestra is the oldest performing group in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, USA. It was founded in 1911.

History

The inaugural concert of the Austin Symphony Orchestra was held on April 25, 1911.Austin 360.com
/ref> Initially, the orchestra consisted of 28 unpaid members and an unpaid conductor. The orchestra now has over 90 members, but is still not a full-time orchestra. It was not until 1948 that a paid music director was appointed —

Ezra Rachlin Ezra Rachlin (5 December 191521 January 1995) was an American conductor and pianist. Life and career Rachlin was born in Hollywood, California, to Jewish parents, and first showed an interest in the piano at the age of three. At age 4½ he was fam ...

being the first appointee – and a regular concert series was presented. He remained in the post for 21 years, until 1969. Rachlin organised a drive-in concert, the world's first, in 1948. The first children's concert was held in 1951. The Centennial Gala Performance took place on April 28, 2011, with the violinist

Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman (; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist. He has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that have included a state dinner for Elizabeth II at the White House in 2007, and at the First ina ...

as soloist, as well as a performance of

Alexandre Luigini Alexandre Clément Léon Joseph Luigini (9 March 185029 July 1906) was a French composer and conductor, especially active in the opera house.Charton D. Alexandre Luigini. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, ...

's '' Ballet égyptien'', which had been played at the first performance a century earlier.Texas Home and Living, 18 March 2011

Organization

The current, and eighth, music director is

Peter Bay Peter Bay is music director of the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Life He graduated from the University of Maryland and the Peabody Institute. He has previously been Music Director and Conductor of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Oregon, Music Di ...

, who has been in the post since 1997. Past directors include

Maurice Peress Maurice Peress (March 18, 1930 – December 31, 2017) was an American orchestra conductor, educator and author. After serving as assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein beginning in 1961, Peress went on to stand ...

(1970–73), Akira Endo and Sung Kwak. The symphony plays its regular season concerts in Dell Hall at the

Long Center for the Performing Arts The Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts venue located along Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin Texas. The Long Center is the permanent home of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Opera and Ballet Aust ...

in downtown

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

References

Organizations based in Austin, Texas Culture of Austin, Texas 1911 establishments in Texas Musical groups established in 1911 Texas classical music Orchestras based in Texas {{Austin-stub