The BBC Philharmonic was founded in 1934 as the BBC Northern Orchestra, and changed its name to the BBC Philharmonic in 1982. It has now moved from its earlier home in Manchester to nearby MediaCityUK in Salford Quays, joining other programme departments at the BBC’s new Northern base. Its main concert series will continue at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. The chief conductor is Juanjo Mena, who succeeds the conductor laureate Gianandrea Noseda, who led the orchestra for nearly ten years. The orchestra is regularly invited to major European cities and has in recent years performed in Prague, Vienna and Budapest, with tours also to Japan and China, the last under the now conductor emeritus, Vassily Sinaisky. In 1991 Sir Peter Maxwell Davies became the BBC Philharmonic’s first composer/conductor and was succeeded in 2000 by James MacMillan, followed in September 2009 by the Austrian composer HK Gruber. The BBC Philharmonic has made a number of recordings, including over 200 with Chandos Records. Most concerts are broadcast live or recorded for BBC Radio 3.

For further information please visit bbc.co.uk/philharmonic.

Photo courtesy of Jon Parker Lee