This course will consider a troubling pair of questions: Does the symphony matter in contemporary culture? Can such a seemingly anachronistic organization long survive? One answer may be that during a time of upheaval in how classical music is created, heard, distributed and evaluated, the orchestra has managed to retain its historic role as a meeting place of intellectual currents and an ongoing forum for public enlightenment. We will cover the structure, roots and day-to-day functioning of the modern philharmonic society. Topics range from the life of a musician in a modern orchestra, the recent wave of new hall construction from Berlin to Birmingham, threats of bankruptcies and strikes and the eyebrow-raising salaries of conductors and general managers. Suggested reading by D. Kern Holoman: The Orchestra: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford UP, 2012) available by paperback or on Kindle. Note: If you are interested, you may attend the concert at the Mondavi Center on your own before the course begins: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Feb. 13, 2015 (pre-concert lecture by Prof. Holoman at 7 p.m. in Jackson Hall).