"For years it was commonly agreed that there was a Big Five among U.S. orchestras: in alphabetical order, the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. For the most part, they were the orchestras with the biggest annual budgets and, partly as a result, the best musicians. They had lucrative recording contracts and the most eminent conductors. They were all located in important cities, with access to large populations, wealth and influential critics, whose regular attention enhanced their reputations."
"Since the 1950s, the concept of the 'Big Five' American orchestras has held sway and influenced ticket buyers to attend what are ostensibly the most reliably consistent performances. Here in New York, the grouping is especially significant: Each of these orchestras appears in town every year. The time is right for a radical realignment—and a revamped 'Big Five' is in order."
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