:''Not to be confused by The Little Orchestra of London'' The Little Orchestra Society is an American orchestra based at 630 9th Avenue, Suite 807 in New York City. It was founded in 1947 by

Thomas Scherman Thomas Kielty Scherman (February 12, 1917 – May 14, 1979) was an American conductor and the founder of the The Little Orchestra Society, Little Orchestra Society. Biography He was a son of Bernardine (née Kielty) and Harry Scherman, founder and ...

, who served as its conductor until his death in 1979. From 1979 to 2011 the Orchestra was led by Dino Anagnost. Its membership has ranged between 45 and 60 musicians. The orchestra's name is borrowed from The Little Orchestra of London, which was formed by Felix Mendelssohn during the Bach Revival. In 2019, the Orchestra named

David Alan Miller David Alan Miller (born 1961) is a multi-Grammy Award-winning American symphony orchestra conductor, and since 1992, music director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Miller served as assistant and associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharm ...

its new Artistic Advisor. Its first concert took place at Town Hall in Manhattan on October 27, 1947. In 1959 the orchestra toured to eight Asian countries including

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, Hong Kong, India, and Japan, performing the music of Henry Cowell. Pierre Monteux guest conducted the orchestra on April 2, 1957, in a concert that included Johannes Brahms' '' Serenade No. 2 in A Major''. Monteux had recorded the serenade in the preceding year, but this performance too was recorded. The orchestra commissions new works and has given 65 world premieres (by composers including

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

Douglas Moore Douglas Stuart Moore (August 10, 1893 – July 25, 1969) was an American composer, songwriter, organist, pianist, Conducting, conductor, educator, actor, and author. A composer who mainly wrote works with an American subject, his music is genera ...

, and David Diamond), and more than 175 U.S. and New York premieres by such composers as Antonio Vivaldi, John Corigliano, and Christopher Rouse.

Discography

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

, Octet in E-Flat Major, Op. 103 & Rondino in E-Flat Major, Grove 146, Thomas Scherman conducting,

EMS Recordings EMS Recordings was founded in 1949 by Jack Skurnick in New York City. The company won first prize at the Audio Fair of 1950 for the high quality and interest of its recordings. It issued the first recording of works of Edgard Varese. Skurnick's par ...

#1, 1950
''Hello, World!/The Greatest Sound Around''

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

, narrator (on ''Hello World!''), words and music by

Susan Otto Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...

and William R. Mayer, The Little Orchestra Society,

, conductor,

John Langstaff John Meredith "Jack" Langstaff (December 24, 1920 – December 13, 2005), a concert baritone, and early music revivalist was the founder of the tradition of the Christmas Revels, as well as a respected musician and educator. He attended the Cur ...

, tenor (on ''The Greatest Sound Around''). RCA Victor Red Seal LM-2332, 1959

References

External links

Official site
*Listen t
Little Orchestra Society Concerts
on

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that ...

Musical groups established in 1947 Chamber orchestras 1947 establishments in New York City Orchestras based in New York City {{US-orchestra-stub