The London Symphony Orchestra is bringing the greatest music to the greatest number of people. This is at the heart of everything that it does. This commitment to serve music and the people who love music is borne of a unique ethos developed over more than 100 years. Established in 1904 by a number of London's finest musicians, the LSO is a self-governing musical collective built on artistic ownership and partnership. The Orchestra is still owned by its Members and has a signature sound emanating from the combined zeal and virtuosity of these 95 brilliant musicians who come from around the world; its music-making remains firmly at the centre of the Orchestra's activities. The LSO is Resident Orchestra at the Barbican in the City of London, where it gives 70 symphonic concerts every year, and performs a further 70 concerts worldwide on tour. The Orchestra works with a family of artists that includes the world's greatest conductors - Sir Simon Rattle as Music Director, Gianandrea Noseda and François-Xavier Roth as Principal Guest Conductors, Michael Tilson Thomas as Conductor Laureate and André Previn as Conductor Emeritus. LSO Discovery, the Orchestra's community and education programme based at LSO St Luke's, brings the work of the LSO to all parts of society and engages with 60,000 people every year. The LSO reaches out much further with its own recording label - LSO Live, the first of its kind which launched in 1999 – and now streams its music to millions around the world.
(Photo: London Symphony Orchestra in LSO St Luke's © Ranald Mackechnie 2015)
