In the Spotlight: London Symphony Orchestra

The London Symphony Orchestra is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading orchestras, regularly topping polls for the quality of its music-making. The LSO enjoys collaborations with an enviable family of artists, including Principal Conductor Valery Gergiev, Michael Tilson Thomas and Daniel Harding as Principal Guest Conductors, and long-standing relationships with some of the world’s leading musicians – Leonidas Kavakos, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mitsuko Uchida and Maria João Pires amongst others.

As Resident Orchestra at the Barbican, the LSO performs around 70 concerts a year in London, while also enjoying successful residencies in New York, Paris and Tokyo, and touring the world in-between to bring its world-class musicianship to as wide an audience as possible. The LSO is also in top-demand as a commercial session orchestra, holding the distinction of the world's most recorded orchestra. With a list of soundtracks including all six Star Wars films, four of the Harry Potter films, The King's Speech, Braveheart, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman and many more, the LSO also ranks highly among film orchestras worldwide. The LSO performs free outdoor concerts to an audience of thousands each year in Trafalgar Square, and was the official orchestra of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Ceremonies, giving a memorable performance of Chariots of Fire with Sir Simon Rattle and Rowan Atkinson. 

The LSO is set apart from other orchestras by the depth of its commitment to music education, reaching over 60,000 people each year through its education and community project LSO Discovery, which offers people of all ages and backgrounds opportunities to get involved in music-making. LSO On Track has given a platform to talented teenagers to appear in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, at outdoor concerts in Trafalgar Square, and also on Abbey Road recordings side-by-side with LSO musicians. The Orchestra’s venue LSO St Luke’s, the UBS and LSO Music Education Centre, is the home of LSO Discovery; it also hosts chamber and solo recitals, contemporary, folk music and more.

The LSO is also committed to embracing new technology. LSO Live, the Orchestra’s record label, has produced over 100 releases and was the first classical label to have its entire catalogue available for digital download. LSO Play, an online resource which allows users to immerse themselves in a performance of Ravel’s Bolero through interactive high-definition footage, was recently honoured with a Webby Award, the internet’s highest honour.