Cecilia Society is established.

Originally The Cecilia and an a cappella chorus, it performs Mendelssohn’s Walpurgisacht, Carl Zerrahn conducting, at the Music Hall. Originally part of the Harvard Musical Association, the organization becomes independent on April 20, 1876. Its first independent concert features the Boston premier of Gade’s Crusaders, Benjamin Lang conducting, at Horticultural Hall on January 11, 1877. The group first includes an orchestra in the 1878-1879 season. Most of the early concerts take place at the Music Hall. After 1900, the society performs almost exclusively in Symphony Hall and Jordan Hall. Donald Teeters serves as director from 1968 to 2012.