Tonhalle Orchester Zürich

The Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich is a Swiss symphony orchestra based in Zürich. Its principal residence is the Neue Tonhalle.

Precursor music ensembles in Zürich have included the music societies Zum Chorherresaal , Ab dem Musiksaal beim Kornhaus , and Zum Fraumünster . In 1812, these ensembles consolidated into a single organization with the name Allgemeine Musik-Gesellschaft , which included the formation of an orchestra who performed on an annual, seasonal and non-permanent basis. In the early history of the AMG orchestra, its first principal conductors were Casimir von Blumenthal and Franz Abt . The impetus for the establishment of a permanent orchestra in Zürich came in 1861, with the Schweizerische Musikfest scheduled in Zürich that year. Citizens in Zürich wished the musicians to remain after the festival, but the AMG did not have the financial resources to establish a permanent resident orchestra. Subsequently, a group of Zürich citizens founded the Orchesterverein in 1865 as the city's first permanent orchestra. The founding of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich followed several years later, in 1868. Both ensembles continue to perform in Zürich today.

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