Kyiv Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1979, the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra (KSO) has emerged as one of the leading cultural forces in Ukraine. Renowned for its dedication to preserving and promoting Ukrainian musical heritage, the KSO also plays a vital role in representing Ukrainian culture on the international stage. KSO has performed in some of the most important European concert halls, such as the Wiener Konzerthaus, Berliner Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Prague Rudolfinum concert hall, and Warsaw Philharmonic, as well as in front of NATO leaders at the Madrid Summit on 29 June 2022. In recent years, the orchestra has participated in prestigious international festivals: Grafenegg (Austria), the 39th International Music Festival in the Canary Islands, Kunstfest Weimar, Wiener Festwochen, and more. The repertoire of KSO spans from the 16th century to the younger generation of today's composers, and precisely for the quality of their interpretations of contemporary music, in 2022 KSO was awarded the prestigious Musical Contest Prize of the Fondation Prince Pierre of Monaco. In its hometown KSO is often invited to play also at major national holidays; in 2021 the Orchestra played for the 25th anniversary of the Constitution of Ukraine in front of the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) and at the Olympic Stadium for the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. On the operatic side, KSO performed Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine on the stage of the National Opera in Kyiv, as well as at the German Musikfestspiele Königswinkel 2021 with a cast of international stars under the baton of Lothar Zagrozek. KSO premiered the opera Night by the Ukrainian composer Maksym Kolomiiets and released it on video version. In the field of education, the KSO regularly organizes concerts for children, open rehearsals, and interactive events. Since August 2024, the KSO has held a residency in Germany, in the city of Monheim am Rhein, becoming part of Monheimer Kulturwerke GmbH. Since 2023 under the patronage of the Berliner Philharmoniker.