The National Symphony Orchestra (of Ireland), until recently the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, has been at the centre of Ireland’s cultural life since 1948 when the Raidió Éireann Symphony Orchestra, as it was originally called, was founded. In 2022 the orchestra transferred to the remit of the National Concert Hall, Ireland’s National Cultural Institution for music. The orchestra plays a central role in classical music in Ireland through yearlong programmes of live performances, schools and educational projects, broadcasts, recordings and new commissions.
World-class conductors associated with the orchestra’s early days were Jean Martinon, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Edmond Appia, Milan Horvat, Sir John Barbirolli and Tibor Paul. Distinguished guest artists and composers with whom it has worked include Josef Szigeti, Isaac Stern, Henryk Szeryng, Ruggiero Ricci, Wilhelm Kempff, Julius Katchen, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Martha Argerich, Radu Lupu, Joan Sutherland, Bernadette Greevy, Angela Gheorghiu, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Mstislav Rostropovich, Paul Tortelier, Sir James Galway, Constantin Silvestri, Sir Charles Groves, Witold Lutosławski, Olivier Messiaen, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt and Bill Whelan.
The orchestra has been critically acclaimed for recordings across labels including Naxos, BIS, Claves, Toccata Classics and RTÉ lyric fm. They include the Composers of Ireland series and recordings of selected orchestral works by Aloys Fleischmann, Frederick May and Seán Ó Riada.
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