Known until 1994 as Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine was formed in November 1918 by the Ukraine Council of Ministers. The first conductor was Oleksander Horilyj, and Nathan Rachlin was artistic director of the orchestra from 1937 for 25 years. Stefan Turchak, Volodymyr Kozhuchar, Fedor Glushchenko, Igor Blazhkov and Theodore Kuchar followed as principal conductors. Other conductors who have worked with the orchestra include Leopold Stokowski, Igor Markevitch, Kurt Sanderling, Evgeny Mravinsky, Kirill Kondrashin, Evgeny Svetlanov and Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Soloists who have performed with the NSOU include Artur Rubinstein, Yehudi Menuhin, Isaak Stern, David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, Gidon Kremer, Oleh Krysa, Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, and Juan Diego Florez. The orchestra has given premières of works by Sergey Prokofiev, Dmitry Shostakovich, Aram Khatchaturian, Boris Lyatoshynsky, Valentin Silvestrov, Myroslav Skoryk, and Yevhen Stankovych. Winning high praise from Shostakovich, among others, since 1993 the NSOU has made more than 100 recordings, including Ukrainian and international repertoire, winning international awards, and has undertaken concert tours throughout the world. Since April 1999 Volodymyr Sirenko has been artistic director and chief conductor, and since June 2006 Alexander Hornostai has served as managing director and producer.

Photo: Valentin Landar