The orchestra was started in 1881. Many of the conductors it had during its history were extremely famous, including Arthur Nikisch from 1889 to 1893, and Pierre Monteux from 1919 to 1924 who gave the orchestra a reputation for a "French" sound which many people think it still has today. Serge Koussevitzky was their conductor for many years and made them a world-class orchestra. With Koussevitzky, the orchestra gave radio broadcasts and made its summer home at Tanglewood, where Koussevitzky founded the Berkshire Music Center, which is now the Tanglewood Music Center.