The Lucerne Festival had featured a resident orchestra as far back as 1938, with Arturo Toscanini conducting the first concert of that ensemble. From 1943 until its disbandment in 1993, the festival orchestra consisted primarily of musicians from Switzerland. A few years later, a reconstituted festival orchestra arose, based around players from the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and the European Community Youth Orchestra (now the European Union Youth Orchestra).Palmer, Peter, "First Performances: Lucerne Festival" (January 1996). Tempo (New Ser.), 195: .
