The New York Philharmonic, the oldest and most loved orchestra in the US is as iconic of the city it resides in, New York City as the Empire state and Chrysler buildings. Since 1842, when the orchestra was started by Ureli Corelli Hill, this wonderful philharmonic has sold millions of tickets, won 19 Grammies and wowed audiences consisting of both the elite and the ordinary. In December of 2004, the New York Philharmonic performed its record-setting 14,000th performance.

Since 2002, Lorin Maazel has taken over the venerated position of the New York Philharmonic's music director, with Xian Zhang as associate conductor and Kurt Masur as music director Emeritus. After Lorin Maazel's tenure ends in 2008-09, Alan Gilbert will be filling in his shoes. The New York Philharmonic performed their first orchestra on the 7th of December 1942 for a crowd of 600 at the Apollo Rooms in lower Broadway. The opening symphony that the New York Philharmonic ever played was Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and since then the rest is history.

The Italian Arturo Toscanini who conducted the New York Philharmonic from 1928-1936 is not just one of the greatest conductors of the New York Philharmonic but is also considered one of the greatest conductors of his generation. Undoubtedly, the versatility, quality and richness of sound created by this veritable orchestra was unrivaled the world over. Another legendary conductor of the New York Philharmonic was Leonard Bernstein (1958-1969) whose skill and ingenuity took himself and his group to new heights and worldwide acclaim. In 1978 came in Zubin Mehta one of the most celebrated and ingenious conductors of modern times who had a penchant for contemporary, modern music and who alone presented 52 pieces. Zubin stayed on till 1991. In 1991-2002 came German conductor Kurt Masur who introduced his version of German Romantic music to the orchestra and the US.

The New York Philharmonic won Grammys for the following categories in the following years. Grammy Award for Best Classical Album for "1965 Bernstein: Symphony No. 3 “Kaddish”; 1974 Bartók "Concerto for Orchestra"; 1978 Concert of the Century; 1991 Ives "Symphony No. 2; Gong on the Hook and Ladder; Central Park in the Dark; The Unanswered Question" and 2005 Adams: On the Transmigration of Souls. Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance for 1990 Mahler "Symphony No. 3 in D Minor"; 1974 Bartók "Concerto for Orchestra"; 1976 Ravel "Daphnis et Chloé" and 2005 Adams "On the Transmigration of Souls". Grammy Award for Best Album for Children for 1962 Prokofiev: "Peter and the Wolf"; 1963 Saint-Saëns "The Carnival of the Animals; Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" and 1964 Bernstein "Young People's Concerts". Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra 1979 Horowitz Golden Jubilee "Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3" and 1982 Isaac Stern 60th Anniversary Celebration. Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for 1963 Wagner "Götterdämmerung: Brunnhilde's Immolation Scene; Die Walküre: Wesendonck Lieder". A Grammy Award for the Best Choral Performance for the 1970 Berio "Sinfonia". Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Classical 1976 Ravel "Daphnis et Chloé"; 1979 Varèse "Ameriques/Arcana/Ionisation" and 1982 Isaac Stern 60th Anniversary Celebration.

New York Philharmonic is one of the most esteemed orchestras the world over. You do not buy tickets to their performance to kill time or hear a version of a popular symphony; you buy tickets to the New York Philharmonic to be musically and artistically enriched.