| 1873 |
Oratorio Society founded (March) by
Leopold Damrosch; first concert, Knabe Hall (December) |
| 1874 |
First performance of Handel's Messiah
by the Society |
| 1876 |
US premiere of Listz' Christus,
Part 1 (premiered complete work in 1887) |
| 1877 |
US premiere of Brahms' Ein
Deutsches Requiem |
| 1880 |
US premiere of Berlioz' Damnation
de Faust |
| 1886 |
US premiere of Parsifal;
first performance outside Bayreuth |
| 1888 |
Andrew Carnegie, the Society's president,
announces his decision to build a "Music Hall"
as a permanent home for the Oratorio Society |
| 1891 |
Five-day festival celebrating opening of
Carnegie Hall; US premieres of Berlioz' Te
Deum and Tchaikovsky's Legend
and Pater Noster |
| 1892 |
US premiere of Saint-Saëns' Samson
et Dalila |
| 1907 |
US premiere of Elgar's The
Kingdom, conducted by the composer |
| 1908 |
US premiere of Tchaikovsky's Eugene
Onegin |
| 1917 |
World premiere of government-commissioned,
standardized Star Spangled Banner |
| 1923 |
Third significant experimental radio
broadcast, and first broadcast from Carnegie Hall |
| 1927 |
US premiere of Bach's
Mass in B minor (complete) |
| 1930 |
Dedication of Carnegie Hall organ, putting
to rest rumors that the Hall was to be demolished |
| 1955 |
"Save Carnegie Hall" concert |
| 1959 |
Society receives citation from New York
City for its "distinguished and exceptional
service" |
| 1962 |
New York premiere of Virgil Thomson's Missa
pro defunctis, conducted by the composer |
| 1963 |
Certificate of Appreciation from New York
City on Society's 90th anniversary |
| 1966 |
Carnegie Hall 75th anniversary concert;
Society receives citation from Carnegie Hall to
"state our pride in the long association we have
enjoyed with you" |
| 1973 |
US premiere of Mompou's Los
improperios as part of Society's 100th
anniversary celebration |
| 1974 |
Society is awarded the Handel Medallion,
New York City's highest cultural award |
| 1975 |
Concert at Castle Clinton, celebrating its
reopening and the beginning of New York's bicentennial
celebration |
| 1976 |
Benefit concert honoring Carnegie Hall's
85th anniversary. Recorded live at Carnegie Hall as
"The Concert of the Century" |
| 1977 |
Bach's St. John Passion with Sir
Peter Pears as the Evangelist, his only performance of
this role in the United States, and using his
translation of the text
The Oratorio Society of New York Solo Competition is
established to foster the careers of young singers in
the performance of the oratorio repertory |
| 1978 |
Tribute to Benjamin Britten with Benita
Valente, Jan DeGaetani, Sir Peter Pears, and Richard
Cross. Program includes the US premiere of Phaedra,
composed for, dedicated to, and performed by Dame Janet
Baker |
| 1980 |
Aaron Copland's 80th birthday celebration,
with Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Lyndon
Woodside conducting |
| 1982 |
Society's European debut |
| 1988 |
Gluck's Orfeo ed
Euridice featuring Janet Baker in the title role
at her farewell performance for US audiences |
| 1991 |
Society's "Tribute to Carnegie Hall
at 100" concert, including the world premiere of
Ivan Tcherepnin's And So It Came
to Pass, commissioned by the Society for the
event |
| 1993 |
New York premiere of Dvoràk's St.
Ludmila |
| 1996 |
New York premiere of Nicolas Flagello's The
Passion of Martin Luther King |
| 1998 |
US premiere of Britten's The
World of the Spirit; 125th anniversary
commendations from New York City and the 100-Year
Association |
| 2003 |
The UNESCO
Commemorative Medal was awarded to the Society for its
contribution, both cultural and ecological, for its
presentation of four concerts in Costa Rica for the
benefit of the Friends of Coco Island Foundation. |
| 2005 |
Death of Music
Director, Lyndon
Woodside. |
| 2006 |
Kent Tritle
appointed Music Director. |
