National Symphony Orchestra (Dominican Republic)
The National Symphony Orchestra was officially created on August 5, 1941. Nevertheless, its history can be traced to the beginning of the 20th century, when under the initiative of Juan Bautista Alfonseca, the Octet of the Youth Casino was founded in Santo Domingo.
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Philip James founded the orchestra in 1922. During the 1940s, the orchestra performed at Newark Symphony Hall. In the first half or 1968 then Music Director Kenneth Schermerhorn announced his departure to take up the baton of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Under the leadership or Board President Henry P. Becton a national search was conducted by Jeffrey Platt, Jr. and Robert D'Angelo that lead to the engagement of Henry Lewis (husband of Marilyn Horne) as the first African American Music Director of a major orchestra in the United States.