The modern symphony orchestra often features hundreds of different instruments. In the hands of a master composer and a skilled conductor, each of those instruments provides a vital aspect of the harmony, melody, and rhythm of a piece. The first symphonies were written at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Over the next two hundred years, many great composers, including Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Dimitri Shostakovich, and Charles Ives, worked to develop and expand the symphony orchestra into the sophisticated ensembles we know today.

Notable Artists: Philadelphia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic