Volunteer Programs

Volunteer History

The Volunteer Committees for The Philadelphia Orchestra were formed in 1904, four years after the Orchestra's first concerts. The Women's Committee, as it was originally called, was the first permanent organization of its kind in the world, and has since come to serve as a model for similar groups in the U.S. and abroad.

The first committee had 20 members and set as its goal to raise $10,000 to alleviate an early financial shortfall. It achieved its goal and raised an additional $5,000 in ticket orders for the following season. Since these auspicious beginnings, membership has grown to a current roster of 560 volunteers, drawn from the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.