The BBC Symphony Orchestra has played a central rôle at the heart of British musical life since it was founded in 1930. It provides the backbone of the BBC Proms, performing around a dozen concerts in the festival each year.

The BBC SO has a strong commitment to twentieth-century and contemporary music, with recent performances including commissions and premieres from Unsuk Chin, Brett Dean, Wolfgang Rihm, Christopher Rouse, Albert Schnelzer and Ryan Wigglesworth. It performs an annual season of concerts at the Barbican, where it is associate orchestra. The orchestra works regularly with Semyon Bychkov, who holds the Günter Wand Conducting Chair, and Conductors Laureate Sir Andrew Davis and Jiří Bělohlávek. Brett Dean is the orchestra’s Artist in Association.

Central to the orchestra’s life are studio recordings for BBC Radio 3 at its Maida Vale home, some of which are free for the public to attend and the BBC SO also performs throughout the world. The vast majority of concerts are broadcast on BBC Radio 3, streamed online and available for thirty days after broadcast via BBC iPlayer. The BBC SO is committed to innovative education work and ongoing projects include the BBC’s Ten Pieces, BBC SO Plus Family scheme, which introduces families to classical music with pre-concert workshops and discounted tickets, and the BBC SO Family Orchestra and Chorus.

Photo: Sim Canetty-Clark