_Board of Directors_ A. J. CASSATT C. HARTMAN KUHN JOHN H. CONVERSE EDWARD G. MCCOLLIN ECKLEY B. COXE, JR. THOMAS MCKEAN, JR. F. T. SULLY DARLEY CLEMENT B. NEWBOLD WILLIAM L. ELKINS JAMES W. PAUL, JR. MISS MARY K. GIBSON MRS. F. H. ROSENGARTEN CLEMENT A. GRISCOM EDGAR SCOTT MRS. A. C. HARRISON SIMON A. STERN JOHN H. INGHAM MISS ANNE THOMPSON OLIVER B. JUDSON HENRY WHELEN, JR. EDWARD I. KEFFER A. VAN RENSSELAER OSCAR A. KNIPE P. A. B. WIDENER _Executive Committee_ JOHN H. INGHAM EDWARD G. MCCOLLIN OLIVER B. JUDSON A. VAN RENSSELAER EDWARD I. KEFFER HENRY WHELEN, JR. OSCAR A. KNIPE Who was the conductor of this new orchestra, who until eighteen months before was unknown in Philadelphia? Fritz Scheel was born in Lübeck, Germany, in 1852. His father and grandfather were orchestral conductors and his mother was a highly talented singer, from whom he inherited his remarkable memory and fine ear. Fritz was the oldest of a large family and worked for his own and his family’s support from an early age. He received his education from the city, in return for playing in orchestras and at concerts and operas. As a boy he often had to fill sudden vacancies, and he was also able to play the horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba. He was the principal teacher of his four brothers, all musicians. As his father was a practical musician, Scheel had had from his childhood an intimate experience with the details of orchestral instruments. As a boy he conducted an orchestra of his own formation, giving subscription concerts in nearby towns which were well attended. At fifteen he appeared as a violin soloist. Scheel’s first appearance as a conductor was when he was the youthful trumpeter in the town band of Chemnitz. Like other municipal bands of Germany, this one furnished the music for all occasions and happened to be playing for the circus. The leader was taken ill, and one of the men was selected as a substitute. When the ring master heard of it, he said, “No, let that boy conduct. It is he who watches the horses’ feet, when they dance, and it is he who sets the time for the music.” Scheel became the leader of the band, and later on was employed by the town as instructor of all the band and orchestral instruments. This experience gave him an expert knowledge of technique, which proved valuable later. In an interview given during the first season here, Scheel described conducting his first opera, shortly after receiving a life appointment as first violin in the Court Orchestra at Schwerin.