BBC Symphony Orchestra facts for kids

The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the main orchestra for the British Broadcasting Corporation. It's one of the top orchestras in Britain. They play many different kinds of music.

A Look Back: The Orchestra's Story

The BBC Symphony Orchestra began in 1930. Sir Adrian Boult was their first main conductor, leading them until 1950. Then, Sir Malcolm Sargent took over until 1957. Many other talented conductors have led the orchestra since then.

Famous conductors like Arturo Toscanini also worked with the orchestra. He made recordings with them in the Queen's Hall between 1937 and 1939.

The BBC often asks today's composers to write new music for the orchestra. They have performed new pieces by composers like Sally Beamish, Harrison Birtwistle, Elliott Carter, James MacMillan, John Tavener, and Mark-Anthony Turnage.

What the Orchestra Does

The orchestra plays a big part in the BBC Proms. This is a series of concerts held every summer at the Royal Albert Hall. The BBC Symphony Orchestra plays on both the first and last nights of the Proms season.

They also perform several concerts at the Barbican throughout the year. They often make recordings in the BBC studios. You can sometimes see them playing on BBC Television. They also travel to other countries for tours. The orchestra even plays special concerts for young people as part of an education program.

The BBC has other professional music groups too. These include the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the BBC Big Band, and the BBC Singers. There are also two groups of amateur singers: the BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC National Chorus of Wales.

Who Has Led the Orchestra?

Here are the main conductors who have led the BBC Symphony Orchestra:

• Adrian Boult (1930-1950)
• Malcolm Sargent (1950-1957)
• Rudolf Schwarz (1957-1963)
• Antal Doráti (1962-1966)
• Colin Davis (1967-1971)
• Pierre Boulez (1971-1975)
• Rudolf Kempe (1976)
• Gennady Rozhdestvensky (1978-1981)
• John Pritchard (1982-1989)
• Andrew Davis (1989-2000)
• Leonard Slatkin (2000-2004)
• Jiří Bělohlávek (2006-2013)
• Sakari Oramo (2013-present)

• The BBC Symphony Orchestra at bbc.co.uk

Images for kids

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  The BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican in October 2012

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  Percy Pitt, the BBC's first director of music

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  John Reith, Director-General of the BBC

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  Guest conducting the BBC SO in the 1930s: from top left, clockwise, Beecham, Koussevitzky, Mengelberg, Richard Strauss, Toscanini, Walter, Webern, Weingartner

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  Leonard Slatkin

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  BBC SO rehearsing for the Last Night of the Proms in September 2011

See also

In Spanish: Orquesta Sinfónica de la BBC para niños