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The Portland Symphony Society of Portland, Oregon, was the parent organization of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. The origins of the orchestra date to 1896, when an ensemble organized by W. H. Kinross gave a concert at the Marquam Grand Theatre on October 30. There were annual performances thereafter, and a tour of the state in 1902. But a major reorganization took place in 1911, largely through the efforts of Mose Christensen, a dancing teacher and amateur violinist. At that time, the organization's old cooperative structure was abandoned, and eventually a board of directors was elected and modern business practices established. The first concert under the new regime was held at the Heilig Theater on November 12, 1911, and in 1918, the ensemble moved to Portland's new Civic Auditorium. In 1919, Carl Denton was hired as the orchestra's first permanent conductor, and in 1925, he was succeeded by Willem van Hoogstraten. Van Hoogstraten had studied at the Cologne Conservatory and had conducted orchestras in central Europe, Scandinavia, and New York City. During his long tenure, he greatly enhanced the quality of the orchestra, remaining in his post until 1938, when financial difficulties forced the orchestra to disband.

For the next nine years, there were occasional performances with guest conductors, but in 1947, the Portland Symphony was revived through the efforts of the local musicians union and community supporters. At that time Warner Janssen was hired as musical director, followed in 1949 by James Sample, then Theodore Bloomfield (1955-1959), Piero Bellugi (1959-1961) and Jacques Singer (1962-1972). Under Singer, the musicians secured full-time contracts, the orchestra began a series of tours throughout the state, and the name was changed to the Oregon Symphony in 1967. A series of pops concerts was inaugurated in 1970 under the direction of Norman Leyden. Jacques Singer was succeeded as music director in 1973 by Lawrence Leighton Smith, and in 1980, James DePriest took the post. During DePriest's tenure, in 1984, the orchestra moved its concerts from the Civic Auditorium (later the Keller Auditorium, after renovation) to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, a renovated motion picture theater. In 2002, Carlos Kalmar became the orchestra's conductor.