The Siberian State Symphony Orchestra (SSSO) dates back to 1977. The orchestra, then led by eminent Soviet conductor Ivan Shpiller, soon won a reputation as one of the best orchestras in the former Soviet Union.

The SSSO has worked with conductors including Leonard Slatkin, Dmitri Jurowski, Gintaras Rinkevičius and Vladislav Chernushenko, and has performed regularly with soloists including Mikhail Pletnev, Vadim Repin, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Lazar Berman, Igor Oistrakh, Denis Matsuev, Rudolf Buchbinder and Nikolai Lugansky.

Political changes enabled the orchestra to start touring internationally to critical acclaim. In 1993, by special decree of the Russian Ministry of Culture, the orchestra was awarded the title of State Orchestra and in 2...