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.
Washington National Opera
The Washington National Opera was established in 1957 as the "Opera Society of Washington" by Day Thorpe, the music critic of the now defunct "Washington Star", but then the most influential Washington newspaper of its day. Paul Callaway, the choirmaster and organist of the Washington National Cathedral, was its first music director. Together, the two set out to seek funding and they found support from Gregory and Peggy Smith who provided $10,000 as seed money for a production of Mozart's "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" which would be performed following the end of their summer season (which Calloway conducted) by the Washington Symphony Orchestra.