ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien

A world-renowned, leading orchestra, the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO) combines tradition with innovation. Founded in 1969, the orchestra is known for its exceptional programming. Works from the Classical-Romantic repertory are performed alongside modern compositions and contemporary music. With Marin Alsop as chief conductor from 2019 to 2025 and an outstanding history of artistic predecessors, the orchestra has built up an international reputation. Markus Poschner becomes chief conductor at the start of the 2026/27 season.

Each year, the Vienna RSO gives concerts in Vienna at the Musikverein and at the Konzerthaus, while also appearing annually at major festivals at home and abroad. The Orchestra has close ties with the Salzburg Festival, musikprotokoll at steirischer herbst, the Carinthian Summer Music Festival and Wien Modern. Regular tours take the players to the USA, Latin America, Asia and throughout Europe, where they have performed at venues such as the Philharmonie de Paris and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and at the BBC Proms.

Since 2007, the Vienna RSO has collaborated regularly with the MusikTheater an der Wien, establishing an excellent name as an opera orchestra. The Vienna RSO has a pioneering reputation for contemporary music and is also a sought-after partner for film productions, including soundtracks for award-winning films such as Kater (Tomcat) and Moonbound and recordings for Austrian television and streaming series such as Der Landkrimi, Vienna Blood and Universum.

The Vienna RSO runs a broad educational programme, with workshops for children and young people. Since 1997 talented musicians have been annually admitted into its own orchestral academy.

Most of the Vienna RSO’s performances are broadcast on the radio, both by Ö1 and internationally. Its extensive recording activities include many premiere recordings of early 20th-century music, as well as of contemporary Austrian compositions. In 2019 the Vienna RSO’s live recording of Gottfried von Einem’s Der Prozess from Salzburg Festival was awarded the Diapason d’Or and the German Record Critics’ Award. The Vienna RSO has also won the OPUS Klassik five times, including most recently for Prokofiev’s violin concertos with Tianwa Yang. In 2024 the Orchestra’s album City Noir, featuring works by John Adams, was nominated for a Grammy and in 2025 it received an International Classical Music Award.

In 2024 the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra received the Austrian Music Theatre Prize.

With Markus Poschner about to take office, plans are underfoot to introduce additional formats and new offerings, and to further sharpen the profile of the orchestra as a leading voice for contemporary music.