Now in its 27th season, Riverside Symphony is widely credited for bringing a unique musical perspective to classical music audiences in New York City. Its vibrant performances of innovative programs at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, are routinely lauded by The New York Times, and its six CDs have been acclaimed in both the U.S. and the international press.

Founded in 1981 by conductor and music director George Rothman and artistic director and composer-in-residence Anthony Korf, Riverside Symphony has introduced New York audiences to important works by an array of contemporary composers from around the world, unfamiliar works by great masters and extraordinary young soloists.

Music Memory, Riverside Symphony's widely valued educational program launched in 1999, now serves 10,000 third- through sixth-grade New York City public school children throughout the five boroughs. It integrates an innovative classroom learning program with free children’s concerts at Alice Tully Hall. The program has been cited by leading arts educators and is endorsed by the New York City Department of Education’s regional arts supervisors.

The orchestra's mission is threefold:

• To deepen appreciation for classical music among the widest possible audience through performances and recordings of the highest artistic merit and music and education programs for all ages;
• To showcase wonderful yet little-known music from all periods;
• To provide ongoing opportunities for emerging composers and soloists of exceptional promise.

Its milestone accomplishments include:

• Numerous premieres of major orchestral works by today’s most important composers and six Riverside Symphony commissions;
• Performances of rarely heard orchestral compositions by such masters as Haydn, Prokofiev and Ravel;
• The presentation of more than 50 world-class young soloists, many in their New York orchestral debut;
• Six internationally acclaimed CDs of contemporary orchestral works, one a 2000 Grammy Award nominee;
• The Riverside Symphony International Composer Reading Project, a forum for composers worldwide, with a special competition for American composers.

Riverside Symphony is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, major foundations, corporations and private individuals.