When Thomas arrived in 1891, he assembled an
orchestra of 26 Chicagoans and 60 New Yorkers,
many the finest musicians of the day.
Thomas introduced composers like Dvorak and
Tchaikovsky into an older European repertoire
of more acceptable composers, such as
Wagner and Beethoven.

Thomas’s orchestra toured extensively, spurring the establishment of
other local symphony orchestras. He devised the subscription plan for
ticket sales and offered special “pop,” children’s and “people
programs” for workers unfamiliar with classical music.

It was Thomas who persuaded patrons to build a permanent home for
the orchestra on Michigan Avenue. He conducted the symphony when
Orchestra Hall was opened in 1904, dying only three weeks later.
Thomas’s home was at 43 (now 52) East Bellevue Place.