Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1932 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra has evolved in to one of the world's finest orchestras, as Sydney has become one of the world's greatest cities. The Orchestra is resident at the iconic Sydney Opera House but also sustains relationships with local and regional communities in Australia. In 1965 the SSO made its first overseas tour, becoming the first Australian orchestra to perform in the United Kingdom and Asia. Since then, tours to Europe, the United States and Asia (including tours to China in 2009 and 2012) have earned the Orchestra worldwide recognition for artistic excellence. In 2010 the Orchestra gave a concert in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and appeared in some of the major European summer festivals including Lucerne, Edinburgh and the BBC Proms. The SSO's first Chief Conductor was Sir Eugene Goossens, appointed in 1947. Goossens was followed by Nicolai Malko, Dean Dixon, Moshe Atzmon, Willem van Otterloo, Louis Frémaux, Sir Charles Mackerras, Zdenek Mácal, Stuart Challender, Edo de Waart, Gianluigi Gelmetti and Vladimir Ashkenazy. David Robertson was appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Director in 2014. The Orchestra's history also boasts collaborations with legendary figures such as George Szell, Sir Thomas Beecham, Otto Klemperer and Igor Stravinsky. The SSO's award-winning education program is central to its commitment to the future of live symphonic music, and the Orchestra promotes Australian composers through performances, recordings and commissions. Recent premieres and recordings have included major works by Ross Edwards, Georges Lentz, Richard Meale, Brett Dean, John Adams and popular folk singer-songwriter Lior. The Orchestra's recent recordings include performances with Alexander Lazarev, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Sir Charles Mackerras, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Nigel Westlake and David Robertson.