The London Symphony Orchestra is London’s oldest surviving orchestra and is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading orchestras. The LSO performs 120 concerts a year with an enviable family of artists including Sir Simon Rattle, Michael Tilson Thomas, Gianandrea Noseda, Daniel Harding, Bernard Haitink, Valery Gergiev and André Previn, and has long-standing relationships with some of the leading musicians in the world – Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mitsuko Uchida and Maria João Pires amongst others. The Orchestra is self-governing and made up of nearly a hundred talented players who also perform regularly as soloists or in chamber concerts.

The LSO is proud to be Resident Orchestra at the Barbican and our home has enabled us to establish a truly loyal audience and fulfil many artistic aspirations. The LSO also enjoys successful residencies in New York, Paris and Tokyo and our regular tour destinations include China, South Korea, plus many major European cities. Last season also saw the Orchestra’s first tour to Australia in 30 years, and an extensive tour of the United States with Michael Tilson Thomas. The LSO is widely acclaimed internationally by audiences and critics alike.

The LSO is set apart from other international orchestras by the depth of its commitment to music education, reaching over 60,000 people each year. The many projects that make up LSO Discovery, the Orchestra’s education and community programme, offer people of all ages the opportunity to get involved in music-making. Its ongoing projects include LSO On Track, giving young musicians opportunities to perform in stand-out events such as BMW LSO Open Air Classics, and LSO Sing – a programme of singing activities designed to draw in singers of all ages and abilities. LSO St Luke’s, the UBS and LSO Music Education Centre, is the home of LSO Discovery; it also hosts chamber and solo recitals, dance, folk music and more. 

The Orchestra is a world-leader in recording music for CD, film, television and events. LSO Live is the most successful label of its kind and has over a hundred titles, all of which are available globally. The Orchestra has recorded music for hundreds of films including Philomena, The Monuments Men, four of the Harry Potter films, Superman and six Star Wars movies, and has recently recorded music for the video-games series, Final Fantasy.