International Orchestras

London Symphony Orchestra

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.......was founded in 1904 and was the country's first independent self-governing orchestra - a limited company with the players as shareholders and a board elected from the players.

The imposing and multi-talented musician Hans Richter, was the LSO's first Principal Conductor and conducted the Inaugural concert at the Queen's Hall on 9 June 1904. Many distinguished conductors followed on from Richter: Sir Edward Elgar, Artur Nikisch, Sir Thomas Beecham, Albert Coates, Willem Mengelberg, Sir Hamilton Harty, Josef Krips, Pierre Monteux, Istvan Kertesz and more recently André Previn, Claudio Abbado, Michael Tilson Thomas and Sir Colin Davis.

Even from early days, the Orchestra travelled extensively and has undertaken three world tours. It was the first British orchestra to tour abroad when it visited Paris in 1906 and similarly the first British orchestra to visit the United States in 1912. The Orchestra was invited to take up a biennial residency at the Florida International Festival in 1966 and was the first British orchestra to appear at the Salzburg Festival in 1973.

In 1964 the LSO made its first world tour and it has since maintained its international reputation with regular visits to Japan, America and throughout Europe. In 1990 the LSO visited Japan with Leonard Bernstein and Michael Tilson Thomas, creating the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo - the first of its kind.

In the late 1960s, the LSO was chosen by the City of London to become the Resident Orchestra of its new Barbican Arts Centre and the Residency is generously supported by the Arts Council of England, matched by the Corporation of London. Since the Barbican Centre's opening in 1982, the LSO has had a permanent base from which to build a formidable musical reputation: through multi-disciplined festivals and themed events; its education and community work, including the Shell LSO Music Scholarship and National Tour established in 1976; and through the skill and dedication of the players themselves.

The LSO has been seen and heard by millions through its recordings, radio and television appearances, and its famous sound has become familiar to a wider audience through film music. The first recorded film score - for Things to Come composed by Sir Arthur Bliss - was made by the LSO in 1934. More recently, many box office hits such as the Superman and Star Wars series have had LSO soundtracks. Benjamin Britten composed the music for an important educational film Instruments of the Orchestra, made in 1948 - Sir Malcolm Sargent conducted the music we know today as The Young Person's Guide.

Sir Colin Davis has been a Guest Conductor with the LSO since the 1960s and in September 1995, he succeeded Michael Tilson Thomas as the LSO's Principal Conductor.

The LSO has always been a champion of British music, in particular that of Sir Edward Elgar who became its Principal Conductor in 1911. The Orchestra formed a close relationship with Elgar and gave first performances of many of his works. In 1948, Sir William Walton was invited to become the Orchestra's Honorary President.

Recent Awards

1992 LSO wins five Gramophone Awards and also shares Grammy award for Candide
1993 LSO wins Emmy Award for Concerto!
1995 LSO wins the first ever Evening Standard Classical Music Award (for 1994) for "Outstanding Ensemble Performance".
1995 LSO wins "Record of the Year" in the Gramophone awards.
1996 LSO receives the Evening Standard Classical Music Award for 1995 for "Outstanding Ensemble Performance" for the second year running.
Sir Michael Tippett wins the award for "Outstanding Artistic Achievement", marking the success of the Tippett Festival 1995, in which the London Symphony Orchestra played a major part.

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