Trivia: Which is NOT one of the “Big Five” orchestras in the United States?
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The correct answer is Los Angeles Philharmonic
So why is this answer correct? : The term “Big Five” was coined in the 1950s with the emergence of music critics and orchestral radio broadcasts. Traditionally, the five groups are the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra. They are all among the oldest orchestras in the country, founded in the 19th and early 20th centuries Today, the term is dated and is used in a historical fashion, rather than to denote the “best” orchestras.