Erie Philharmonic

The history of the Erie Philharmonic began on November 30, 1913, when the Erie Symphonic Orchestra presented a concert of “Sacred Music.” Kohler, who had been concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1897-1911, conducted the orchestra until 1916 when his health failed. Under the baton of John R. Metcalf, from 1931 to 1947, the orchestra reached a new level of support from the community. Fritz Mahler (a nephew of Gustav Mahler) was appointed music director in 1947. In 1950, the Erie Philharmonic sponsored its first important commission, Peter Mennin’s “Concerto for Orchestra.” In 1953, Music Director James Sample and President William Schuster established the Erie Junior Philharmonic. After Sample, music directors included John Gosling, Harold Bauer, Walter Hendl, Eiji Oue, Peter Bay, and Hugh Keelan. In the summer of 2007, Daniel Meyer was named the 12th Music Director of the Erie Philharmonic.