Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

In the over 75 years of its existence, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) has established an excellent reputation on the basis of its stylistic assurance, its commitment to contemporary music, as well as its CD and radio productions. Founded as the RIAS Symphony Orchestra (“Radio In the American Sector”) in 1946, it was renamed the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin in 1956 and has borne its current name since 1993. 

The young Briton Robin Ticciati became principal conductor and Artistic Director of the DSO starting in the 2017-18 season. He extended his contract until 2027 in the summer of 2020. In the past three seasons, he has demonstrated his versatility and flexibility with the orchestra with repertoire from the Renaissance to the present day, with presentation forms that range from unusual set-ups in the hall to lighting concepts to staged versions, and with projects like playing on gut strings and free improvisations. In the 2020-21 season, which was shaped by Corona, Robin Ticciati and the DSO created a series of extraordinary film projects that received excellent media coverage. 

With its many guest performances, the DSO is present on the national and international music scene as a cultural ambassador of Berlin and Germany. The orchestra has performed in recent years in Brazil and Argentina, in Japan, China, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi and in Eastern Europe, as well as at major festivals such as the Salzburg Festival and the BBC Proms. In the past season, the orchestra conducted an Asia tour together with Robin Ticciati, consisting of a residency in Tokyo and concerts in China, followed by other guest appearances, including in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and in Cologne’s Philharmonie.

The DSO is also in demand all over the world with numerous award-winning CD productions. In 2011, it received the ‘Grammy Award’ for best opera recording for the production of Kaija Saariaho's opera ‘L'amour de loin’ conducted by Kent Nagano. Robin Ticciati and the DSO have already released six highly critically acclaimed recordings with Linn Records, containing works by Bruckner, Debussy, Duparc, Duruflé and Fauré, most recently in the fall of 2020 with symphonic poems and Lieder by Richard Strauss.  

Since it was founded, the DSO has been able to attract and retain outstanding artist personalities. As the first chief conductor, Ferenc Fricsay defined standards in terms of repertoire, acoustic ideal and media presence. In 1964, young Lorin Maazel assumed artistic responsibility; he was followed in 1982 by Riccardo Chailly, and in 1989 by Vladimir Ashkenazy. Kent Nagano was appointed music director in 2000; since departing in 2006, he has remained closely associated with the orchestra as conductor laureate. Ingo Metzmacher, from 2007 to 2010, and Tugan Sokhiev, from 2012 to 2016, set decisive accents with the orchestra in the German capital’s musical life.

The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin is an ensemble of Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre GmbH (Radio Orchestra and Choirs GmbH, ROC), which is supported by Deutschlandradio (40%), the Federal Republic of Germany (35%), the state of Berlin (20%) and Radio Berlin-Brandenburg (5%).