New Orleans Symphony Orchestra
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra

Classical music has a long and storied history in New Orleans, dating back to the French colonial era. Members of the city’s upper class were privately entertained by chamber music in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and public performances by full orchestras took place in the city’s many acoustically ideal old theaters.
 
Over the years, a number of symphony orchestras have come and gone in New Orleans. The latest incarnation is the present-day Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Likened to the mythical phoenix bird, rising from the ashes of its own destruction, today’s LPO rose from the ashes of its predecessor, the New Orleans Symphony. When that organization went bankrupt and folded in 1993, the musicians took the initiative and resurrected it. They decided to manage it themselves, hire their own conductors, and raise the funds needed to stage performances at the Orpheum Theatre and other venues around the city. Their success in this resurrection was a “Cinderella story” that received worldwide publicity. It became the first totally musician-owned symphony orchestra in the United States.
 
In recent years, LPO has brought to the stage such renowned guest artists as violinists Pinchas Zukerman and Mark O’Connor, flutist James Galway and pianist/composer Marvin Hamlisch. Its seasons’ repertoires generally range from the works of classical composers – Mozart, Brahms, Beethoven, Mahler, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky and others – to Broadway show tunes, pop standards and patriotic themes. Of the city’s major performing arts groups, LPO has the greatest mobility, being able to offer concerts in many locations, including the outdoors.
 
LPO generally offers about two to three dozen concerts a year. Carlos Miguel Prieto is the principal resident conductor.
 
Tickets can be purchased by calling 523-6530 or bought from the box office on performance nights. For more specific information log on to www.lpomusic.com.