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San Francisco, California, located in one of the world's most beautiful bays, exploded in population during the 1849 Gold Rush. It quickly became the trading, entertainment, and arts center of the Far West, with a solid tradition of German-style choral societies and a Symphony Society. After the devastating earthquake of 1906, civic leaders decided to establish a permanent Orchestra; the San Francisco Symphony gave its first concert in December, 1911, with the composer Henry Hadley at the podium. The 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition allowed for appearances by guest orchestras, and local supporters soon realized that San Francisco's own Symphony was not on par with these other groups. They then engaged Alfred Hertz, the conductor of German repertory at the Metropolitan in New York, as the new music director. He stayed through 1929, and was succeeded by Basil Cameron and Isaay Dubrowen. Much of the orchestra's history is connected to opera in San Francisco. Gaetano Merola founded the ...