Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra

The Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, or Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, is among Switzerland's leading symphonic ensembles. The orchestra is of unusual antiquity, with roots stretching back into the 17th century. The forerunners of the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra were amateur musical ensembles that arose between 1600 and 1680 in Zurich, a city that lacked a major aristocratic music-making apparatus. In 1812, three of these joined forces to form the Allgemeine Musikalische Gesellschaft (General Musical Society), which maintained a seasonal orchestra. This group, though still partly amateur...