Big Five (orchestras)

The Big Five are five American symphony orchestras that historically led the field in "musical excellence, calibre of musicianship, total contract weeks, weekly basic wages, recording guarantees, and paid vacations". In order of foundation, they are the New York Philharmonic (1842), the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1881), the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1891), the Philadelphia Orchestra (1900), and the Cleveland Orchestra (1918). The term gained currency in the late 1950s and for some years afterwards.