The RCA Italiana Orchestra (RIO) was an orchestra formed by the American music label RCA Victor during the early 1960s. The orchestra was formed as a replacement for the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra (RVSO) for the purposes of saving money. Unlike the RVSO, the RIO was not a full-time orchestra which worked together year round. Instead, the orchestra, which was largely made up of players in the Rome Opera orchestra, only met during the opera's off-season. This arrangement enabled RCA to still have their own orchestra available for recordings without having to pay the expenses of a full-time orchestra. A number of the orchestra's recordings received Grammy Awards.
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““Pop” Wyman ruled here with a firm but gentle hand; no drunken man was ever served at the bar; no married man was allowed to play at the tables; across the face of the large clock was written “Please Don’t Swear,” and over the orchestra appeared the gentle admonition, “Don’t Shoot the Pianist—He’s Doing His Damndest.””
—Administration in the State of Colo, U.S. public relief program. Colorado: A Guide to the Highest State (The WPA Guide to Colorado)