Recognised today as one of the finest orchestras on the international stage, the London Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1932 by Sir Thomas Beecham. Since then, its Principal Conductors have included Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. In 2017 Vladimir Jurowski celebrates his tenth anniversary as the orchestra’s Principal Conductor. From the 2020/21 season, Ed Gardner will take over as Principal Conductor from Vladimir Jurowski, who will become Conductor Emeritus for the orchestra.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra has been performing at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall since it opened in 1951, becoming Resident Orchestra in 1992. It also has flourishing residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne and performs regularly around the UK. Each summer it plays for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, where it has been Resident Symphony Orchestra for over 50 years. The orchestra also regularly tours abroad with highlights including visits to Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Greece, Switzerland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Italy, France and the USA.