Question: What is the oldest symphony orchestra in the U.S.?

List of symphony orchestras in the United States

 
There were about 1,200 symphony orchestras in the United States as of 1998, and a similar number as of 2014. Some U.S. orchestras maintain a full 52-week performing season, but most are small and have shorter seasons.[1][2]  As of 2007, there were 117 U.S. orchestras with annual budgets of $2.5 million or more.[3]
Critics in the 1950s identified five American orchestras as the Big Five, those considered leaders in "musical excellence, calibre of musicianship, total contract weeks, weekly basic wages, recording guarantees, and paid vacations."[4] The five were the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Cleveland Orchestra. But the concept and the list are now outmoded. Music critics today include more orchestras on their lists of "top" American orchestras.[5]
Notable U.S. orchestras are listed here by state.  Youth orchestras are listed in a separate list of youth orchestras in the United States. For orchestras in other countries, see list of symphony orchestras.

Alabama

Alabama Symphony Orchestra (Birmingham)
Huntsville Symphony Orchestra
Mobile Symphony Orchestra
Montgomery Symphony Orchestra
Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra

Alaska

Anchorage Symphony Orchestra
Juneau Symphony

Arizona

Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra
Phoenix Symphony
Tucson Symphony Orchestra

Arkansas

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
Symphony of Northwest Arkansas
Texarkana Symphony Orchestra

California

California Symphony
Fremont Symphony Orchestra
Golden State Pops Orchestra
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Hollywood Chamber Orchestra
Hollywood Studio Symphony
Hollywood Symphony Orchestra
Long Beach Symphony Orchestra
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Modesto Symphony Orchestra
New Century Chamber Orchestra
New West Symphony
North State Symphony
Oakland East Bay Symphony
Pacific Symphony
Pasadena Symphony
Peninsula Symphony
Redwood Symphony
Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra
San Bernardino Symphony
San Diego Symphony
San Francisco Chamber Orchestra
San Francisco Symphony
Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra
Santa Cruz County Symphony
Southeast Symphony
Stockton Symphony
Symphony Silicon Valley
Valley Symphony Orchestra (LAVC)

Colorado

Aspen Chamber Symphony[3]
Colorado Springs Philharmonic
Colorado Symphony Orchestra
Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra

Connecticut

Hartford Symphony Orchestra
New Haven Symphony Orchestra
Yale Symphony Orchestra

Delaware
Delaware Symphony Orchestra
District of Columbia

Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra[3]
National Symphony Orchestra

Florida

Florida Orchestra
Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
Naples Philharmonic[3]
New World Symphony Orchestra (Miami)
Ocala Symphony Orchestra (formerly Central Florida Symphony Orchestra)
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
Orlando Pops Orchestra
Sarasota Orchestra (formerly Florida West Coast Symphony)
Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra

Georgia

Albany Symphony Orchestra
Athens Symphony Orchestra
Atlanta Pops Symphony Orchestra
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra[3]
Augusta Symphony Orchestra
New Trinity Baroque
Rome Symphony Orchestra

Hawaii
Hawaii Symphony Orchestra
Illinois

Belleville Philharmonic Society
Champaign Urbana Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Sinfonietta
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Civic Orchestra of Chicago
Elgin Symphony Orchestra
Grant Park Symphony Orchestra
Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Music of the Baroque
Peoria Symphony Orchestra
Quad City Symphony Orchestra
Rockford Symphony Orchestra
Urbana Pops Orchestra

Indiana

Carmel Symphony Orchestra
Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra
Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra

Iowa

Des Moines Symphony
Dubuque Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra Iowa, Cedar Rapids
Quad City Symphony Orchestra
Sioux City Symphony Orchestra

Kansas

Kansas City Symphony
Wichita Symphony Orchestra

Kentucky

Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra
Louisville Orchestra

Louisiana

Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
Lake Charles Symphony
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (New Orleans)
Monroe Symphony Orchestra
Shreveport Symphony Orchestra

Maine

Augusta Symphony Orchestra
Bangor Symphony Orchestra
Portland Symphony Orchestra

Maryland

Annapolis Symphony Orchestra
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Baltimore Chamber Orchestra
Baltimore Philharmonia
Concert Artists of Baltimore
Maryland Symphony Orchestra
National Philharmonic at Strathmore
Soulful Symphony
Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Number One

Massachusetts

Boston Baroque
Boston Civic Symphony
Boston Classical Orchestra
Boston Modern Orchestra Project
Boston Philharmonic Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra
Brockton Symphony Orchestra
Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra
Handel and Haydn Society
Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra
Lexington Symphony
Longwood Symphony Orchestra
Melrose Symphony Orchestra
New England Philharmonic
New Philharmonia Orchestra of Massachusetts
North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra
Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston
Springfield Symphony Orchestra
Waltham Symphony Orchestra
Wellesley Symphony Orchestra

Michigan

Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Grand Rapids Symphony
Jackson Symphony Orchestra[6][7][8]
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Michigan Philharmonic
Traverse Symphony Orchestra
West Shore Symphony Orchestra

Minnesota

Bloomington Symphony Orchestra
Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra
Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra
Minnesota Orchestra
Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

Mississippi

Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (Jackson)
North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (Tupelo)
Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (Hattiesburg)

Missouri

Kansas City Symphony
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
University City Symphony Orchestra
Ozark Festival Orchestra

Montana

Billings Symphony Orchestra
Helena Symphony Orchestra

Nebraska

Omaha Symphony Orchestra
Kearney Symphony Orchestra

Nevada

Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra
Reno Philharmonic Orchestra

New Hampshire

New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra

New Jersey

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Princeton Symphony Orchestra
Princeton University Orchestra

New Mexico

Santa Fe Community Orchestra
Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus

New York

Albany Symphony Orchestra
American Classical Orchestra
American Symphony Orchestra
Astoria Symphony
Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Ithaca
Chamber Orchestra of New York
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
The Little Orchestra Society
Long Island Philharmonic
NBC Symphony Orchestra
New York Philharmonic
New York Pops
New York Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra of St. Luke's
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Westchester Philharmonic

North Carolina

Asheville Symphony Orchestra
North Carolina Symphony
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

North Dakota

Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra
Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra
Minot Symphony Orchestra

Ohio

Akron Symphony Orchestra
Canton Symphony Orchestra
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra
Toledo Symphony Orchestra
Youngstown Symphony Orchestra

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City Philharmonic
Tulsa Symphony Orchestra

Oregon

Eugene Symphony
Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra
Oregon East Symphony
Oregon Mozart Players
Oregon Symphony
Portland Chamber Orchestra
Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Portland Youth Philharmonic

Pennsylvania

Allentown Symphony Orchestra
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Erie Philharmonic
Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
Johnstown Symphony Orchestra
Lancaster Symphony Orchestra
Old York Road Symphony
Orchestra 2001
Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
Philly Pops
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra

Rhode Island

Brown University Orchestra
Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra

South Carolina

Beaufort Symphony Orchestra
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Greenville Symphony Orchestra
Lake Murray Symphony Orchestra
South Carolina Philharmonic
Long Bay Symphony Orchestra

South Dakota

Black Hills Symphony Orchestra, Rapid City
South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, Sioux Falls

Tennessee

Chattanooga Symphony and Opera
Jackson Symphony Orchestra
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
Memphis Symphony Orchestra
Nashville Symphony Orchestra
Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra

Texas

Austin Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Chamber Symphony
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Houston Symphony
Lubbock Symphony Orchestra
River Oaks Chamber Orchestra
San Antonio Symphony
Symphony of Southeast Texas
University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra
Valley Symphony Orchestra
Utah

American West Symphony of Sandy
Orchestra at Temple Square
Salt Lake Symphony
Utah Symphony Orchestra
Utah Valley Symphony

Vermont

Vermont Symphony Orchestra

Virginia

Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Richmond Symphony Orchestra
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
Roanoke Symphony Orchestra

Washington

Northwest Sinfonia
Northwest Symphony Orchestra
Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra
Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Spokane Symphony
Walla Walla Symphony

West Virginia

West Virginia Symphony Orchestra
Wheeling Symphony

Wisconsin

Beloit Janesville Symphony
Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra
Chippewa Valley Symphony
Concord Chamber Orchestra
Madison Symphony Orchestra
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra

See also
League of American Orchestras
Pops orchestra