Highlights from Tour History

1936: Orchestra is the First American orchestra to make a transcontinental Tour

1949: The Orchestra is the first American orchestra to cross the Atlantic after World War II

1955: The Orchestra tours continental Europe for the first time, and composer Jean Sibelius welcomes the entire orchestra to his home outside Helsinki.

1958: The Orchestra first tours the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries.

1966: The Orchestra first tours Central and South America, under Ormandy.

1967: The Orchestra first tours Asia.

1973: The Orchestra is the first American orchestra to perform in the People’s Republic of China, at the

special request of President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger.

1986: The Orchestra tours the U.S. in celebration of the 50th anniversary of its first transcontinental trip.

1992: Music Director Riccardo Muti leads the Orchestra’s first tour to Israel.

1999: The Orchestra is the first American symphony to visit Vietnam.

2001: The Orchestra returns to mainland China for the third time.

2003: The Orchestra tours the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile

2008: The Orchestra returns to China on the 35th anniversary of its historic first tour to that country in 1973. The Orchestra also visits Korea and Japan as part of the tour