ɪt wʌz fˈaʊndᵻd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti tˈuː, ænd sˈɪns nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti θɹˈiː hɐz tˈʊɹd sˈɛvɹəl kˈʌntɹiz ɚɹˈaʊnd ðə ɡlˈoʊb, ɐ sˈɛmaɪˈænjuːəl tɹɐdˈɪʃən, ænd mˈoʊst ɹˈiːsəntli kəmplˈiːɾᵻd ɐ tˈʊɹ tə dʒəpˈæn wɪð pɚfˈoːɹmənsᵻz ʌv dʒˈɜːʃwɪnz ɐn ɐmˈɛɹɪkən ɪn pˈæɹɪs, ɹˈɪmskikˈoːɹsɐkˌɑːvz ʃəhˈɛɹəzˌɑːd, ænd ɹˈætʃmɐnˌɪnɑːvz ɹˈæpsədi ˌɔn ɐ θˈiːm baɪ pˌæɡɐnˈiːni.
It was founded in 1952, and since 1963 has toured several countries around the globe, a semi-annual tradition, and most recently completed a tour to Japan with performances of Gershwin's An American in Paris, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini.