List of symphony orchestras in the United States
There were about 1,200 symphony orchestras in the United States as of 1998. Some U.S. orchestras maintain a full 52-week performing season, but most are small and have shorter seasons.[1] As of 2007, there were 117 U.S. orchestras with annual budgets of $2.5 million or more.[2]
Critics historically have identified five American orchestras as the Big Five, the five symphony orchestras that were considered leaders in "musical excellence, calibre of musicianship, total contract weeks, weekly basic wages, recording guarantees, and paid vacations."[3] The five orchestras given this label as of the 1950s were the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Cleveland Orchestra. The list is considered to be outdated, as modern music critics include some additional orchestras on their lists of the top American orchestras.[4]
U.S. orchestras that have articles on Wikipedia are listed here by state. Youth orchestras are listed in a separate list of youth orchestras in the United States. For orchestras in other countries, see list of symphony orchestras.
Alabama
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Alaska
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Arizona
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Arkansas
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California
- California Symphony
- Fremont Symphony Orchestra
- Golden State Pops Orchestra
- Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
- Hollywood Studio Symphony
- Hollywood Symphony Orchestra
- Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
- Los Angeles Philharmonic
- Modesto Symphony Orchestra
- New Century Chamber Orchestra
- New West Symphony
- North State Symphony
- Oakland East Bay Symphony
- Pacific Symphony
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- Pasadena Symphony
- Peninsula Symphony
- Redwood Symphony
- Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra
- San Diego Symphony
- San Francisco Chamber Orchestra
- San Francisco Pops Orchestra
- San Francisco Symphony
- San Jose Symphony
- Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra
- Santa Cruz County Symphony
- Stockton Symphony
- Symphony Silicon Valley
- Thousand Oaks Philharmonic
- Valley Symphony Orchestra (LAVC)
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Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
- Brevard Symphony Orchestra
- Central Florida Symphony Orchestra
- Florida Orchestra
- Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
- Sarasota Orchestra
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Georgia
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Hawaii
Illinois
- Champaign Urbana Symphony Orchestra
- Chicago Sinfonietta
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Civic Orchestra of Chicago
- Elgin Symphony Orchestra
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- Grant Park Symphony Orchestra
- Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra
- Lyric Opera of Chicago
- Peoria Symphony Orchestra
- Rockford Symphony Orchestra
- Urbana Pops Orchestra
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Indiana
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Iowa
- Dubuque Symphony Orchestra
- Orchestra Iowa
- Quad City Symphony Orchestra
- Sioux City Symphony Orchestra
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
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Maine
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Maryland
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Massachusetts
- Boston Baroque
- Boston Civic Symphony
- Boston Classical Orchestra
- Boston Modern Orchestra Project
- Boston Philharmonic Orchestra
- Boston Pops Orchestra
- Boston Symphony Orchestra
- Brockton Symphony Orchestra
- Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra
- Handel and Haydn Society
- Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra
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- Lexington Symphony
- Longwood Symphony Orchestra
- Melrose Symphony Orchestra
- New England Philharmonic
- New Philharmonia Orchestra of Massachusetts
- North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra
- Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston
- Springfield Symphony Orchestra
- Waltham Symphony Orchestra
- Wellesley Symphony Orchestra
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Michigan
- Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra
- Detroit Symphony Orchestra
- Grand Rapids Symphony
- Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
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- Lansing Symphony Orchestra
- Michigan Philharmonic
- Traverse Symphony Orchestra
- West Shore Symphony Orchestra
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Minnesota
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- Minnesota Orchestra
- Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
- Minnesota Youth Symphonies
- Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies
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Mississippi
Missouri
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Montana
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Nebraska
Nevada
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New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
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New York
- Albany Symphony Orchestra
- American Classical Orchestra
- American Symphony Orchestra
- Astoria Symphony
- Brooklyn Philharmonic
- Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
- Chamber Orchestra of New York
- Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
- The Little Orchestra Society
- Long Island Philharmonic
- NBC Symphony Orchestra
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- New York Philharmonic
- New York Symphony Orchestra
- New York Youth Symphony
- Orchestra of St. Luke's
- Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
- Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
- Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
- Westchester Philharmonic
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North Carolina
- Asheville Symphony Orchestra
- North Carolina Symphony
- Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
- Winston-Salem Symphony
North Dakota
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Ohio
- Akron Symphony Orchestra
- Canton Symphony Orchestra
- Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
- Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
- Cleveland Orchestra
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- Columbus Symphony Orchestra
- Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra
- Toledo Symphony Orchestra
- Youngstown Symphony Orchestra
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Oklahoma
Oregon
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- Oregon Mozart Players
- Oregon Symphony
- Portland Chamber Orchestra
- Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra
- Portland Youth Philharmonic
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Pennsylvania
- Allentown Symphony Orchestra
- Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
- Erie Philharmonic
- Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
- Johnstown Symphony Orchestra
- Lancaster Symphony Orchestra
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- Old York Road Symphony
- Orchestra 2001
- Philadelphia Orchestra
- Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
- Philly Pops
- Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
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Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
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South Dakota
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Tennessee
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Texas
- Austin Symphony Orchestra
- Dallas Symphony Orchestra
- Dallas Chamber Symphony
- Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
- Houston Symphony Orchestra
- River Oaks Chamber Orchestra
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Utah
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Vermont
Virginia
Washington
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West Virginia
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Wisconsin
- Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra
- Chippewa Valley Symphony
- Concord Chamber Orchestra
- Madison Symphony Orchestra
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Wyoming
See also
References
- ^ Catherine Wichterman, "The Orchestra Forum: A Discussion of Symphony Orchestras in the US", 1998 Annual Report, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
- ^ U.S. Symphony Orchestras and Their Music Directors, Information Please Database, 2007, Pearson Education, Inc.
- ^ Robert R. Faulkiner, "Career Concerns and Mobility Motivations of Orchestra Musicians", The Sociological Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 3 (Summer, 1973), p. 336. Archived at JSTOR. Retrieved 28 March 2012. Subscription required.
- ^ Michael Walsh, Lee Griggs, James Shepherd, "Music: Which U.S. Orchestras Are Best?" Time, April 25, 1983. Retrieved 18 July 2010.