How the London Symphony Narrowly Avoided the Titanic

The centenary of Titanic's doomed maiden voyage has put a renewed focus on the bravery of the eight musicians who performed but ultimately perished during the maritime disaster.

Meanwhile, a much larger group of musicians narrowly avoided a similar fate. The London Symphony Orchestra had been scheduled to sail on the RMS Titanic in 1912, in what was the first United States tour by a British orchestra. The trip was sponsored by the instrument-manufacturing arm of Boosey & Hawkes, which agreed to give the musicians a full set of brass instruments to play if they made the journey that would span 21 days, 23 cities and 32 concerts.  Read More