Stokowski sleuth finds historic items for Philly Orchestra on conductor’s 100th anniversary

PHILADELPHIA – A century after Leopold Stokowski (sto-KOV’-ski) took the reins of The Philadelphia Orchestra, a history detective set on his trail has tracked down rarely-seen correspondence and belongings of the conductor affectionately known as “Stoki.”

Jack McCarthy, an archivist for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, conducted a yearlong project for the orchestra to mark the 100th anniversary of Stokowski’s 1912 appointment as conductor.

The orchestra has concerts, talks and other Stokowski-related events scheduled throughout the 2012-2013 season.

Poring through old correspondence in the orchestra’s expansive archives, McCarthy discovered that the University of Pennsylvania and the Curtis Institute of Music were repositories of some of the maestro’s effects.

McCarthy located items like Stokowski’s tuxedo tails and a custom-made podium that the maestro used.