Symphony of the New World
| Company type | Non-profit organization |
|---|---|
| Industry | Classical music, performing arts |
| Founded | 1964 in New York City, United States |
| Founder | Benjamin Steinberg and founding musicians including Alfred Brown and Selwart R. Clarke |
| Defunct | 1978 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Key people | Benjamin Steinberg (founder and music director until 1971), Everett Lee (music director after 1972), John Hammond (board president) |
| Products | Symphony orchestra performances, cultural ambassador programs |
Number of employees | Approximately 88 musicians at founding (36 Black and 52 white musicians) |
The Symphony of the New World was a symphony orchestra located in New York City, distinguished as the first orchestra in the United States to integrate musicians of different races. Its inaugural performance took place on May 6, 1965, at Carnegie Hall, under the baton of conductor Benjamin Steinberg, who prioritized creating platforms for diverse musical talent.
Musicians in the orchestra were alumni of esteemed institutions such as Juilliard, Eastman School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and the New England Conservatory. Their concerts reached international audiences through broadcasts on Voice of America and Armed Forces Radio. The publication Ebony hailed the ensemble as a landmark achievement both artistically and sociologically within American music history.
Steinberg remained as music director until his resignation on December 12, 1971, which occurred amid internal conflicts just before a scheduled concert. Financial difficulties worsened by postponed grant disbursements forced the cancellation of the remainder of the 1971–72 season. The orchestra's final appearance was held on April 9, 1978.
Founding
In 1940, Steinberg joined forces with conductors Dean Dixon and Everett Lee to attempt forming an integrated professional symphony orchestra; however, they were unable to secure adequate funding. After the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, musicians including Harold Jones, Elayne Jones, Joe Wilder, among others, gathered with the aim to establish an integrated orchestra committed to high artistic standards. Steinberg managed personnel organization and obtained financial backing with assistance from supporters like Zero Mostel.
The mission statement, drafted by Steinberg alongside eleven founding members such as Alfred Brown and Selwart R. Clarke, set forth objectives to create employment opportunities for skilled non-white instrumentalists, feature qualified non-white conductors, deliver high-caliber performances in underserved neighborhoods including Bedford-Stuyvesant and Harlem while also appearing at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and position the Symphony as a cultural ambassador on a global scale.
The debut group consisted of 36 Black and 52 white musicians. The Symphony also sought to enhance female representation; by 1975, Black musicians made up 40% of the ensemble, with women comprising most of that demographic. Early patrons included renowned figures such as Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Ruby Dee, Langston Hughes, and Zero Mostel.
Initial financial support originated from a $1,000 donation by Equitable Life Assurance Society, a grant from Martha Baird Rockefeller’s foundation, and numerous smaller contributions from Black community members. Zero Mostel also provided monetary assistance.
Performances
On May 6, 1965—just two months after the "Bloody Sunday" civil rights march and three months prior to the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965—the Symphony of the New World held its premiere at Carnegie Hall. Soprano Evelyn Mandac performed arias from Adriana Lecouvreur and Louise. Pianist Allan Booth featured as soloist, while trumpeter Joe Wilder performed in Stravinsky's Petrouchka. Trumpet player Wilmer Wise recalled the profound emotional experience of performing within this fully integrated ensemble led by Benjamin Steinberg.
Program notes emphasized the orchestra’s historic racial integration, highlighting its composition of 36 Black and 52 white musicians—a pioneering moment in American symphonic history. Following their Carnegie Hall debut, plans were made to present concerts in economically disadvantaged communities to broaden audience access. Established by Steinberg and thirteen distinguished musicians in 1964, the ensemble maintained rigorous artistic standards while fostering job opportunities for talented nonwhite instrumentalists to advance racial equality within classical music. The Symphony operated with tax-exempt status to encourage philanthropic contributions supporting this cultural initiative.
On October 11, 1965, Leonard Bernstein recommended awarding a significant grant to the Symphony despite not having attended a performance himself, commending Steinberg’s leadership and recognizing the project’s social importance in promoting integration for Black musicians.
The group secured a $5,000 grant requiring two-to-one matching funds, ultimately raising $10,000 with additional backing from American Airlines, the National Endowment for the Arts, and subsidies provided by the New York State Council on the Arts for concerts in low-income neighborhoods throughout New York City. Further funding was obtained from foundations such as Ford Foundation and Exxon Foundation alongside continued support from NEA.
The orchestra benefited from collaborations with principal guest conductor James DePreist. Board President John Hammond chaired a board that included luminaries like Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price, and Zero Mostel—who also served as patron artists along with groups such as the Modern Jazz Quartet, tenor George Shirley, and baritone William Warfield.
Significant milestones included soloist Marilyn Dubow becoming the first female violinist in the New York Philharmonic and founder Elayne Jones joining the San Francisco Symphony as its first Black woman timpanist. Jones reflected on overcoming obstacles related to legitimacy, funding acquisition, union negotiations, and assembling musicians amid skepticism regarding the orchestra’s sustainability.
In 1968, at Harlem’s High School of Music & Art and Lincoln Center, the Symphony premiered Address for Orchestra composed by pianist and Smith College professor George Walker (composer). During Black History Month in 1974, they debuted Wade Marcus' A Moorish Sonata alongside a performance of Joseph White's rediscovered Concerto for Violin and Orchestra from 1864 featuring violinist Ruggiero Ricci.
At a concert in 1969, actor Zero Mostel made his conducting debut leading Rossini's overture to Semiramide, bringing humor that delighted both musicians and audience members alike.
Conclusion of the orchestra
By 1971, internal strife emerged within the orchestra when conductor Benjamin Steinberg’s approach of alternating principal musicians with second-chair players sparked discord. On 12 December 1971, Steinberg stepped down backstage at Philharmonic Hall to enable a scheduled performance to continue. Following arbitration on 12 June 1972, control of the Symphony of the New World was taken from him. Joe Wilder attributed the unrest to clashing egos and noted that racial issues played a role in Steinberg’s exit, while violist Alfred Brown acknowledged Steinberg’s visionary intentions despite facing opposition.
On 1 February 1972, Steinberg released a final appeal for fundraising, citing internal disputes and financial hardships—including a $100,000 deficit in grant funding—as reasons for terminating the remainder of the 1971–72 season. Subsequently, the symphony underwent reorganization under new leadership with a fresh board and appointed music director Everett Lee, one of the African American guest conductors Steinberg had previously engaged.
The orchestra persisted with ambitious programming, making its Washington, D.C. debut in October 1975 and returning to Carnegie Hall as its home base. A review from 1977 commended its musical proficiency and celebrated its twelfth season as its most accomplished to date. Nonetheless, ongoing financial difficulties forced cancellations, with conductor George Byrd lamenting that activist organizations found fundraising simpler than the symphony. The 1977–78 season is believed to have been its final one; following a concert in April 1978, the orchestra quietly disbanded without any formal declaration.
Despite the decline, ensemble members took pride in their contributions. Flutist Harold Jones remarked that the symphony “created hope where little existed” and proved that African American musicians could perform at an equal level. In 2014, a commemorative exhibit marking its 50th anniversary was hosted by the New York Public Library, while the orchestra’s historical records are maintained at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
Concert Black by Terrance McKnight
Terrance McKnight, a presenter at WQXR, features the Symphony of the New World in his forthcoming book, Concert Black. In an article for National Sawdust magazine, he emphasizes that this ensemble—active between 1965 and 1978—was America’s first professionally integrated orchestra, bridging Black and white classical music communities in New York City. At its height, more than 80% of its audience members were people of color.
The Symphony of the New World played a pivotal role in broadening classical music audiences and promoting multiculturalism within the art form. It collaborated with notable figures such as Duke Ellington, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Marian Anderson, and Martina Arroyo. The orchestra consistently featured Black conductors and composers alongside Asian musicians—an uncommon inclusion during that era—establishing itself as a pioneering example of cultural diversity in arts organizations.