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The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.The orchestra was founded as a full time organisation in 1930 by Adrian Boult. He remained principal conductor until 1950, when Malcolm Sargent took over (holding the post until 1957). Other principal conductors have included Antal Doráti (1962-66), Colin Davis (1967-71), Pierre Boulez (1971-75), Gennady Rozhdestvensky (1978-81) and Andrew Davis (no relation to Colin) who held from the post from 1989 until he was succeeded by Leonard Slatkin in 2000. Also in 2000, the orchestra appointed its first Associate Composer, Mark-Anthony Turnage. John Adams became the BBC Symphony Orchestra's Artist in Association in June 2003. Leonard Slatkin's final concert as Chief Conductor was the Last Night of the Proms 2004. A successor is still being eagerly awaited.
As well as these principal conductors, the orchestra has had several notable guest conductors, including Arturo Toscanini.
The orchestra frequently commissions works by contemporary composerA composer is a person who writes music. The term refers particularly to someone who writes music in some type of musical notation, thus allowing others to perform the music. This distinguishes the composer from a musician who improvises. However, a persos, and is a particular champion of new British works. Harrison BirtwistleHarrison Paul Birtwistle (born July 15, 1934) is a British composer, widely seen as one of the most significant modern composers from that country. Birtwistle was born in Accrington in Lancashire. He entered the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchest's Earth Dances, Pierre Boulez' Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna and John TavenerJohn Tavener (born 28 January 1944) is an English composer. He was born in London, studied at the Highgate School in London, and later attended the Royal Academy of Music there, where he studied with Sir Lennox Berkeley. His dramatic cantata The Whale 196's The Protecting Veil were all BBC commissions first played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
The orchestra plays a prominent role in The PromsRoyal Albert Hall, 2004. The bust of Henry Wood can be seen in front of the organ The Proms are an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts held annually in Central London, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington., the annual season of concerts played at the Royal Albert HallThe Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences is an arts venue dedicated to Queen Victoria's husband and consort, Prince Albert. It is situated in South Kensington in central London within the area also known as Albertopolis. It forms the practical part of a. It plays on both the first and last nights of the season.
The other BBC orchestras are the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra , the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra .
Other London-based orchestras include the London Symphony OrchestraThe London Symphony Orchestra (frequently abbreviated to LSO is a full time orchestra based in London. It is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. Since 1982 it has been based in the Barbican Centre. It was founded in 1904 as an independent,, the Royal Philharmonic OrchestraThe Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an English orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes called "Britain's national orchestra". The RPO was founded in 1946 by Thomas Beecham and played its first concert in Croydon on September 15,, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonia and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
