Adler, F. Charles (Frederick Charles), 1889-1959

The F. Charles Adler Papers is a collection of materials, including correspondence, writings, and memorabilia, which reflects the conductor's career from 1936 through 1955. Born in London in 1889, Adler began his career in the United States as conductor of the New York Festival Orchestra, a component of the Federal Music Project which was sponsored by the Works Progress Administration. With his interest in contemporary musical compositions coupled with a belief that the most fertile ground for the growth of American music was outside the country's large cities, Adler founded the New York Chamber Orchestra in 1945, and shortly thereafter transferred his base of operations to Gansevoort, New York. Composed of selected members of the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York (later known as the New York Philharmonic), the New York Chamber Orchestra performed more than 40 new compositions at the Saratoga Spa Music Festival during the 1946-1947 seasons. Adler died in Vienna in 1959 at the age of 69.

From the guide to the F. Charles Adler Papers, 1787-1959, 1936-1955, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)