The New International Encyclopædia/Chicago Orchestra

CHICAGO ORCHESTRA. A permanent orchestra, under the direction and leadership of Theodore Thomas (q.v.), and established at Chicago, Ill. It was organized in 1891, and is supported partly by subscription and partly by the sale of seats for the Friday afternoon public rehearsal and the Saturday evening concert, which are given weekly during the season. The rates of admission are designedly moderate, the deficit at the close of the season being periodically met by the guarantors of the association, a number of public-spirited citizens, through whose generosity alone the establishment of a permanent orchestra has been made possible. The organization formerly consisted of about sixty players, but in 1901 the number was increased to ninety. In 1898 the orchestra was reinforced by a chorus of mixed voices under the direction of Arthur Mees, but it was found advisable to abandon the idea at the close of the season. The history of the organization has not been entirely peaceful. A strict adherence to the highest classic ideals, and an unswerving refusal to be influenced by local criticism or financial exigencies, at first caused considerable friction, but the annually decreasing deficit and the greatly increased attendance have amply justified the course of the conductor, who has brought his organization to a plane of excellence where it compares favorably with the world's greatest orchestras.