The Discovery Orchestra

The Discovery Orchestra teaches the listening skills that help people emotionally connect to classical music. We achieve this through intimate gatherings, live performances and electronic media programs.

The Discovery Orchestra began its life 25 years ago in Somerset County, New Jersey, as the Philharmonic Orchestra of New Jersey, a professional freelance orchestra founded to present classical concerts for the growing population in that region of the state. Recently our mission has evolved, culminating in a name change in July 2006. As The Discovery Orchestra, our goal is to combine performance and interactive instruction to help individuals develop music listening skills that will enable them to receive powerful, aesthetic experiences from music.

TDO believes that  21st century society is continuing the process of training people to use music primarily as a background while multi-tasking, a phenomenon facilitated by the mass distribution of recorded music. In addition to depriving people of the incredibly moving experiences they can potentially have by focusing their attention solely on music, this trend also sadly contributes to the demise of audiences for live concerts by symphony orchestras and other classical and jazz ensembles.

The good news is that scientific studies show that giving one's undivided attention to music positively affects one's mental and physical well being - and not just from classical music but from all the music one encounters via active listening. The Discovery Orchestra offers: Discovery Concerts™ for adults and teens; Intimate Evenings and Musical Gardens, in-home chamber music recitals which include musical Discovery Moments; and Fall in Love with Music, listening presentations in class and pre-concert chat formats.

Although TDO's live presentations primarily serve New Jersey residents, the orchestra also reaches national and international audiences through broadcasts of its Emmy-nominated television show, Bach to the Future©, distributed by American Public Television (APT). APT estimates that the program reached over 37 million US homes during its initial three-year run.

The Discovery Orchestra receives underwriting from corporations, foundations, individuals like you, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. It is a priority to provide free and/or discount tickets to underserved constituencies for most TDO programs.

The governing documents, conflict of interest policy, financial statements and federal and state filings are available to the public at the TDO office or by request.