Author - Ann Drinan

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National Symphony Orchestra
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Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
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Grant Park Symphony Orchestra

National Symphony Orchestra

There are several things that make the NSO unique among American orchestras. You might have seen us on TV for our annual Memorial Day concert at the Capitol, or our annual 4th of July concert, our most visible national presence. You might not have heard about our yearly American Residency, sponsored in part by the US Department of Education.

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Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, now in its 47th season, is one of the youngest of the top 20 American symphonies. Musicians and staff alike attribute its relative youth to the proximity of the Chicago Symphony, which frequently performed in Milwaukee in the early part of the century.

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Grant Park Symphony Orchestra

Among the professional level orchestras throughout the United States, perhaps none is as unique as the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra (GPSO). The Grant Park Music Festival (GPMF) was initially conceived by Chicago Mayor A. J. Cermak during the Great Depression in 1931 when the city presented a series of free concerts to lift the spirits of Chicagoans. The following year, James C. Petrillo, the president of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, vigorously labored to turn these concerts into a permanent summer tradition. Petrillo’s motives were twofold: to make classical music available for all Chicagoans, and to provide secure employment for union musicians.

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