The San Antonio Symphony was founded in 1939 by conductor Max Reiter, a native of Trieste, Italy, who brought with him to America a background rich in symphonic and operatic repertoire. Formerly the director of the symphony orchestra of Milan, Reiter was one of few Jewish conductors working in Italy at that time. When the Italian government proclaimed an official anti-Semitic policy, Reiter was forced to sign a release renouncing all professional contracts. Seeing no future for himself with European orchestras, Reiter boarded a ship for New York carrying only a briefcase of introductory letters, a few articles of clothing, and $40 in cash.

Finding New York crowded with musicians whose circumstances mirrored his own, Reiter purchased a round-trip train ticket and began a circuit of the southern United States. Leaving the train at each major town, Reiter approached leading citizens with his dream of creating a new American orchestra. When he made his presentation in San Antonio, civic leaders engaged Reiter to conduct a "demonstration concert" in the Sunken Garden Theater at Brackenridge Park on June 12, 1939. The performance, before an audience of 2,500, was a resounding success, and Reiter's proposal for a full-time orchestra for San Antonio received the city's support. Reiter's leadership and inspiration resulted in a November 24, 1939, inaugural concert presented by the newly incorporated Symphony Society of San Antonio, launching the first season of the San Antonio Symphony.

The first San Antonio Symphony season comprised four concerts. For each performance, fully one-third of the 95 musicians were brought in from other cities in the Southwest. Fueled by public enthusiasm and Reiter's vision, the fledgling orchestra enjoyed rapid growth to become a fully professional ensemble of 75 musicians performing a 16-week season in 1943. A budget of $100,000 for the 1944-45 season made the San Antonio Symphony one of America's 19 major orchestras--the only one in Texas.

From 1943 to 1945, the city of San Antonio experienced a wartime population boom due to its numerous military installations. The patron base for the Symphony grew proportionately, bringing further success to the young orchestra. In 1943, an outdoor summer concert series was added to the Symphony's regular concert season, and in 1945, Reiter founded the San Antonio Symphony Grand Opera Festival, bringing world-class stars and productions to the stage of Municipal Auditorium. To support the productions, Reiter also created the San Antonio Symphony Opera Chorus, which would later become the San Antonio Symphony Mastersingers.

Audience growth in following years was accompanied by artistic success, with Reiter and the Symphony presenting the world premieres of works by Antheil, Gillis, Hanson, and Richard Strauss. Guest conductors included Igor Stravinsky, Sir Thomas Beecham, and Dimitri Mitropolous. Beecham characterized the San Antonio Symphony as "among the few leading orchestras of this country," and Mitropolous declared, "This orchestra can compete with any orchestra in this country or Europe."

In 1950, Max Reiter died suddenly of heart failure. Early the next year, Reiter's own choice for his successor, Victor Alessandro, became the second music director of the San Antonio Symphony. Alessandro, a Texas native and music director of the Oklahoma City Symphony, had been a guest on the San Antonio podium on several occasions. Alessandro's arrival came at a difficult time for the Symphony--the post-war recession had left the community with few economic resources to support its orchestra. To deal with these new challenges, Alessandro expanded the Grand Opera Festival and added a pops season to the Symphony's classical offerings. These well-attended performances allowed the Symphony to survive and even thrive during these lean years. Alessandro also expanded the Symphony's lauded Young People's Concert series, which Max Reiter had created in 1945.

In 1969, the Symphony took up residence in San Antonio's Theater for the Performing Arts. This facility, part of the city's newly constructed Convention Center, would later be re-christened the Lila Cockrell Theater in honor of a mayor of San Antonio. The Theater for the Performing Arts offered better accommodations for patrons and far better acoustics than Municipal Auditorium.

During Alessandro's 25-year tenure, the San Antonio Symphony continued to grow in size and stature. By 1970 the orchestra had made three recordings on the Mercury label, including the world premiere of a work that it commissioned: John Corigliano's Piano Concerto, featuring soloist Hilde Somer.

Victor Alessandro's tenure as music director came to an end in 1976 when he was forced to retire on doctor's orders. Alessandro was promptly named "conductor emeritus." Shortly before Alessandro's death that year, the Symphony Society initiated a search for new artistic leadership.

In 1978, the two-year search ended with the appointment of FranÁois Huybrechts as the third music director of the San Antonio Symphony. Huybrechts, formerly music director of the Wichita ( Kansas) Symphony, brought to San Antonio a dedication to innovative programming and contemporary repertoire. Huybrechts also cast the Symphony in the role of international cultural ambassador for the city of San Antonio, with an acclaimed tour of Mexico City.

In 1980, Lawrence Leighton Smith became the Symphony's fourth music director, following a seven-year stint as music director of the Oregon Symphony. Smith also increased the Symphony's service to San Antonio by expanding the city-funded outreach program of free concerts to include under served neighborhoods. Increased touring provided greater exposure of the orchestra to audiences in the south Texas region, as well as Louisiana, and in 1982 the orchestra was warmly welcomed back to Mexico City. Smith resigned from the San Antonio podium in 1985 to become music director of the Louisville Orchestra.

As the Symphony Society began the search for the fifth music director, Sixten Ehrling was engaged as artistic advisor beginning with the 1985-86 season. Zdenek Macal was consequently engaged as principal guest conductor. The search came to an abrupt halt in the spring of 1987, however, when lingering financial difficulties led the board of directors to cancel the 1987-88 season.

Seeing the need for the symphonic music to continue in San Antonio, the musicians of the orchestra agreed to produce a season of concerts in cooperation with the newly formed Orchestra San Antonio, Inc. Led by San Antonio patron of the arts Wilford Stapp, the Orchestra San Antonio board engaged Akira Endo as artistic advisor and principal conductor. The 1987-88 season began, led by Endo and several guest conductors. After negotiating a revised agreement with the musicians of the orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony re instituted its season on January 5 and assumed all remaining Orchestra San Antonio commitments. Board members of Orchestra San Antonio became board members of the San Antonio Symphony, and the season continued.

With the beginning of the 1988-89 season, Zdenek Macal accepted the title of artistic director and principal conductor, which he held concurrently with his post as music director of the Milwaukee Symphony. Macal's position was recognized as temporary while the Symphony leadership continued the search for a permanent music director. Under Macal's baton, the San Antonio Symphony made significant strides artistically and in the number of patrons attending performances. A banner year for ticket sales began in September 1989, as Macal ushered in the San Antonio Symphony's 50th Anniversary Season. The 1989 - 90 season saw the Symphony in a new residence: the restored Majestic Theatre, in the heart of San Antonio's downtown arts district.

The search for a permanent music director culminated in the December 1990 appointment of Christopher Wilkins. Beginning with the 1991-92 season, Wilkins assumed the full title and duties of music director of the Symphony. Christopher Wilkins was immediately hailed as "a spirit of authority and power, polish and grandeur." Wilkins received national acclaim as well when he was named one of two 1992 recipients of the prestigious Seaver/NEA Conductor's Award. The Seaver award, presented every two years by the National Endowment for the Arts, recognizes exceptionally gifted American conductors in the early stages of their careers.

Wilkins brought with him to the podium fresh concepts in programming and performance. At the January 1994 meeting of the American Symphony Orchestra League, the San Antonio Symphony was unanimously hailed as a model of inclusiveness and community-relevant programming for American orchestras. In 1994, the San Antonio Symphony was named the winner of the first ASCAP/Morton Gould Award for Creative Programming, in recognition of its innovative presentations of traditional and contemporary repertoire. Two prominent national awards were received in 1995; the ASCAP Award for Programming of Contemporary Music and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation "Magic of Music" Grant. In 1996 the Symphony received a second ASCAP Award for Programming of Contemporary Music, and was selected to receive a $600,000 grant from the Knight Foundation as one of five U.S. orchestras selected as finalists in the "Magic of Music" initiative. In subsequent years, the orchestra received four additional ASCAP Awards for Programming of Contemporary Music.

The 1999-2000 season marked the last in Christopher Wilkins' tenure as music director. Mr. Wilkins served for two further years in the role of music advisor. At the final concert of the 2001-2002 season, Christopher Wilkins was named music director emeritus.

On November 14, 2002, Larry Rachleff was named music director designate. His tenure as music director will commence with the 2003-2004 season. Mr. Rachleff's appointment was the result of a three-year search that included input from musicians, staff, and interested members of the public.

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