In 1894 Herbert composed his first operetta, "Prince Ananias", for a popular troupe known as The Bostonians. The piece was well received, and Herbert soon composed three more operettas for Broadway, "The Wizard of the Nile" (1895), "The Serenade" (1897), which enjoyed international success, and "The Fortune Teller" (1898), starring Alice Nielsen. Although these achieved popularity, Herbert did not produce any more stage works for several years, focusing on his work with the Pittsburgh Symphony until 1904. Just before leaving that orchestra, he returned to Broadway with his first major hit, "Babes in Toyland" (1903). Two more successes followed, "Mlle. Modiste" (1905) and "The Red Mill" (1906), which solidified Herbert as one of the best-known American composers. He was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1908.