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Stokowski Place

located on SE corner Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia

Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977) was Music Director and conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Born in England, he was of a mixed Polish-Irish parentage. During his career he affected a vaguely Eastern-European accent. Arrived from England in October 1912 and took over as Music Director of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra. His tenure lasted until 1940. With his unique combination of showmanship and musical genius he created the Philadelphia Sound and made the Philadelphia Orchestra into a leading, world-class institution. He pioneered the use of "free" bowing, which produced a rich, homogenized string tone. A relentless innovator, Stokowski experimented with orchestral seating and "free" breathing for brass instruments. One of the first modern conductors to give up the use of the baton, Stokowski employed graceful, almost hypnotic, hand gestures to work his magic. He was the first conductor to become a true superstar. He was even regarded as something of a matinee idol, an image aided by his appearances in such films as the Deanna Durbin spectacle One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937) and, most famously, as the flesh-and-blood leader of the Philadelphia Orchestra in Walt Disney's animated classic Fantasia (1940). He was open to ideas and promoted new talent, staging American premiers of many renowned old and new composers. He was an early proponent of electronic recording of symphonic music onto vinyl discs as soon as this technology was introduced. He promoted the use of electronic instruments such as the theremin and ondes martenot, predicting a time when composers would be able to shape music directly via electronic devices. Following his 27 year stay in Philadelphia, Stokowski directed several other ensembles, including the All-American Youth Orchestra (which he founded), the NBC Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic (both as co-conductor), the Houston Symphony Orchestra (1955-60), and the American Symphony Orchestra, which he organized in 1962. During the 1960s he returned to Philadelphia several times as a guest conductor. He left an indelible mark on the City of Philadelphia and on how it is perceived around the world as a home for classical music.

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