Founded in Lugano in 1935, the OSI has been directed by great musical figures such as Ansermet, Stravinsky, Stokowski, Celibidache and Scherchen, and has worked with composers such as Mascagni, Richard Strauss, Honegger, Milhaud, Martin and Hindemith, and more recently with Berio, Henze and Penderecki. Richard Strauss’s Duet-Concertino for clarinet, bassoon, strings and harp (1947) was written for the orchestra. The OSI is one of fourteen professional orchestras currently active in Switzerland. Consisting of forty-one permanent musicians, it is funded principally by the Canton of Ticino, Radiotelevisione svizzera (RSI), the City of Lugano and the Associazione Amici dell’OSI. Its tours and international projects are additionally supported by its International Partner, the Helsinn Group. OSI is the mainstay of the annual RSI concert seasons, and regularly participates in the Settimane Musicali in Ascona and in LuganoMusica. Through the Martha Argerich Project it has also had the privilege of working closely with the great Argentinian pianist for over fifteen years. From September 2015 OSI has been the Resident Orchestra at LAC – Lugano Arte e Cultura. The OSI works with the great names of orchestral conducting and with internationally acclaimed soloists, performing at major venues both in Switzerland and abroad. It has made numerous studio recordings for radio transmission and many CDs for major record labels.

For more information, please visit www.osi.swiss and www.osi-brahms.ch.