Mohammed Iqbal wrote:

>What is the difference between a philharmonic orchestra and symphony
>orchestra?

There isn't any difference.  It's usually an historical accident as to
which name is chosen.

In London, for instance, there are both the London Philharmonic Orchestra
and the London Symphony Orchestra; the former founded about 30 years after
the latter.

In some American cities there was an orchestra with one name started many
years back which then went out of business; the next orchestra founded
would use the other name for legal reasons, perhaps, and in any case to
avoid confusion.

That was the situation in Columbus Ohio, where I lived as a schoolboy,
and in Tulsa Oklahoma where I was Music Director in the early 1980s.

And in some America cities there are both at once, one a professional
orchestra and the other, either a pickup orchestra or a volunteer
orchestra--the Richmond [Virginia] Symphony is professional and the
Richmond Philharmonic isn't, the St. Louis Symphony is a major orchestra
and the St. Louis Philharmonic is an occasional, professional orchestra.

Joel Lazar
Bethesda MD