Agence France-Presse reports that the reborn WPO's first concert was held outdoors, despite a steady rain, on June 21 at the Hêätel des Invalides as part of the French capital's 25th annual Fê_te de la musique. Yutaka Sado conducted a program of popular French works, including pieces by Bizet, Berlioz, Ravel, Dukas, Debussy and Saint-SaêŠns; the program was repeated on June 23 in Reims and June 24 in Paris.

Initially founded in 1985 to promote a message of peace and international cooperation, the World Philharmonic Orchestra was created to be an international group of musicians that would assemble each year on a different continent, with new members and a different conductor, for a week of rehearsals and a concert to benefit a designated charity. The first performance was given in Sweden under the baton of Carlo Maria Giulini; the WPO subsequently gathered in Brazil under Lorin Maazel (1986) and in Japan under Giuseppe Sinopoli (1987). In December 1988, Fran‹oise Legrand conducted the orchestra in Montreal in a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony that involved choirs in Moscow, San Francisco and Geneva participating via satellite link. The organization subsequently ceased operations for lack of money.