The Philharmonia was founded in 1945
by EMI producer Walter Legge, and has
worked with a who’s who of 20th- and
21st-century music. Finnish conductor
Santtu-Matias Rouvali took up the baton
as Principal Conductor in September
2021. The sixth person to hold the title,
he is known for his expressive, balletic
conducting style and irrepressible energy.
Herbert von Karajan, Otto Klemperer,
Wilhelm Furtwängler, Arturo Toscanini,
Riccardo Muti and Esa-Pekka Salonen
are just a few of the great artists to be
associated with the Philharmonia, and
the Orchestra has premiered works
by Richard Strauss, Sir Peter Maxwell
Davies, Errollyn Wallen, Kaija Saariaho
and many others.
Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival
Hall, in the heart of London, has been
the Philharmonia’s home since 1995.
The Orchestra also has residencies
at venues and festivals across England, each embracing a Learning &
Engagement programme that empowers
people to engage with, and participate
in, orchestral music.
The Philharmonia’s international
reputation is built in part on its
extraordinary 76-year recording legacy,
which in the last ten years has been
built on by pioneering work with digital
technology. The Orchestra’s installations
and VR experiences have introduced
hundreds of thousands of people to the
symphony orchestra. The Philharmonia
has won four Royal Philharmonic Society
awards for its digital projects and
audience engagement work.
The Philharmonia is the go-to orchestra
for many film and videogame composers
in the UK and Hollywood, and its
music-making has been experienced by
millions of cinema-goers and gamers. It
has recorded around 150 soundtracks,
with film credits stretching back to 1947.