The New York Philharmonic, the third Philharmonic…
December 1842 CE
The first concert of the Philharmonic Society of New York, as it is called at this time, takes place on December 7, 1842 in the Apollo Rooms on lower Broadway before an audience of six hundred.
The concert opens with Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, led by the American conductor Ureli Corelli Hill.
Two other conductors, German-born Henry Christian Timm and French-born Denis Etienne, lead parts of the eclectic, three-hour program, which includes chamber music and several operatic selections with a leading singer of the day, as is the custom.
The musicians operate as a cooperative society, deciding by a majority vote such issues as who will become a member, which music will be performed and who among them will conduct.
At the end of the season, the players will divide any proceeds among themselves.