From its inception in 1938, the BPO has servedas Buffalo’s cultural ambassador. JoAnn Falletta isthe Music Director of the Grammy Award-winningorchestra, which presents more than 120 Classics,Pops, Rock, Kids and Youth concerts each year.After the rise and fall of several forerunners, the BPOwas founded in 1935. During the Great Depression,the orchestra was initially supported by funds fromthe Works Progress Administration and the EmergencyRelief Bureau. Over the decades, the orchestra hasmatured in stature under outstanding conductorsincluding William Steinberg, Josef Krips, Lukas Foss,Michael Tilson Thomas, Julius Rudel, Semyon Bychkov,and Maximiano Valdés. Many distinguished guestperformers have graced the orchestra’s stage, includingSergei Rachmaninoff, Isaac Stern, Aaron Copland,Van Cliburn, and Yo-Yo Ma. The BPO has toured widelyacross the United States, Europe and Canada, includingseveral tours of Florida and 24 appearancesat Carnegie Hall.During the tenure of JoAnn Falletta, the BPO hasrekindled its distinguished history of radio broadcastsand recordings, including the release of 40 CDsof their very varied repertoire on the Naxos and BeauFleuve labels, which have garnered notice from theinternational press, won two GRAMMY awards,and are broadcast on radio stations worldwide.The BPO has engaged in a multi-year commissioningproject, and is dedicated to presenting the music oftoday, as well as uncovering lost composers from thepast. For this, the orchestra has earned multipleASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming.Since 1940, the orchestra’s permanent homehas been Kleinhans Music Hall, a National HistoricLandmark designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinenand which has an international reputation as oneof the finest concert halls in the United States.