New York Philharmonic Digital Archives

The Archives collections contain material that dates back to the Philharmonic’s first concert in 1842, but the first phase of our digitization begins in the middle of this long history. In deciding where to begin with our digitization project, we held a roundtable discussion that included librarians, historians, musicians, conductors, journalists, and students to evaluate the different time periods in the Philharmonic’s history and to determine what might provide the most unique source material. The International Era, 1943-1970 was selected for several reasons. It is the time when the United States becomes a world power and New York City its cultural capital; when the New York Philharmonic emerges as a worldwide symbol of this new cultural position. -Web Site