Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

Formed in 1902, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra was originally organized as the Stockholm Concert Society, and was established as a professional ensemble in 1914. It has been performing at the Stockholm Concert House since 1926, and the orchestra became associated with Swedish Radio in 1937. Its name was changed in 1957 to the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, but to reflect the sustained support from the royal family, it was renamed the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in 1992. Its first artistic director was Georg Schnéevoigt, and the roster of his successors includes such famous names as Václav Talich, Fritz Busch, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Antal Doráti, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Yuri Ahronovitch, Paavo Berglund, Andrew Davis, Paavo Järvi, Alan Gilbert, and since 2008, Sakari Oramo. Guest conductors have included Gustavo Dudamel, Riccardo Muti, Manfred Honeck, Andris Nelsons, Franz Welser-Möst, Herbert Blomstedt, Nathalie Stutzmann, and Gianandrea Noseda. The orchestra hosts the Stockholm International Composer Festival and the Composer Weekend in May, and it annually accompanies the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony and the Polar Music Prize. The RSPO has released recordings on Decca, BIS, Exton, Chandos, and Sony Classical, among other labels.