Established in 1954 as the Białystok Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra received the status of State Philharmonic in 1974. In 2005 it took the name of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic. The orchestra has worked with distinguished conductors and soloists and collaborated with a number of leading Polish composers. Foreign tours have taken the orchestra to Austria, Belgium, Belarus, China, France, Lithuania, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Italy and the United States, and there are regular concerts in its home town, and venues and festivals throughout Poland. The Orchestra of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic devotes much attention to music education programmes, organizing an average of 900-themed symphonic and chamber concerts annually for children of all age groups, from kindergarten to high-school.