Founded in 1913, the Erie Philharmonic is a professional

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

located in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

. The Philharmonic has held their performances at the 2,500 seat Warner Theatre on State Street in downtown Erie since 1974.

History

The musicians union attempted to form a symphonic orchestra in the late 1890s, but there was no popular support in Erie and the effort died. Another attempt to produce a symphony occurred in April 1913, when a group of 40 to 50 musicians rehearsed for months for a performance of

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

's '' 1812 Overture'' and

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

's '' Peer Gynt Suite''. The concert never took place. It was only months later, on 30 November 1913, that the ''Erie Symphony Orchestra'', Erie Phil's earliest iteration, was born. It lasted just over two years, with its final concert held on 20 February 1916. On 30 January 1921, the orchestra was reorganized as the Second Symphony Orchestra. It lasted five years, with its final concert held on 2 May 1926. The First Philharmonic held its first concert on 8 February 1921. The Second Philharmonic held its first concert on 7 February 1932. The Erie Phil disbanded for the duration of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, then incorporated on 23 September 1947. It has performed in Erie ever since. The Erie Philharmonic Chorus was formed in 1953, and the Erie Junior Philharmonic was established in 1947. The Erie Phil received a US$15,000 grant from the Erie Community Foundation to publicize its effort to find a new conductor for the orchestra.

Music directors

References

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External links

Erie Philharmonic official website
{{Authority control 1916 disestablishments in Pennsylvania 1926 disestablishments in Pennsylvania 1941 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Musical groups established in 1913 Musical groups established in 1921 Musical groups established in 1932 Musical groups established in 1947 Culture of Erie, Pennsylvania 1921 establishments in Pennsylvania Orchestras based in Pennsylvania 1913 establishments in Pennsylvania