Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
For more than a hundred years, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB) has been on the air and performing live in concert halls. Founded in 1923, the orchestra is now one of the oldest symphony orchestras dedicated to radio broadcasting in Europe. Its history dates back to the birth of public radio in Germany on October 29, 1923. Since that day, radio pioneers such as Otto Urack, Bruno Seidler-Winkler, Kurt Weill, and Paul Hindemith, as well as principal conductors such as Eugen Jochum, Sergiu Celibidache, Hermann Abendroth, Rolf Kleinert, Heinz Rögner, and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, have shaped an ensemble that has experienced the highs and lows of 20th-century German history "up close" like hardly any other German orchestra. Today, it performs at the Berlin Philharmonie, the Berlin Konzerthaus, and the Haus des Rundfunks, with Vladimir Jurowski serving as its chief conductor—and can be heard via radio in more than 26 countries.
Vladimir Jurowski – Conductor, Curator, Designer
In 2017, Vladimir Jurowski succeeded Marek Janowski (2001–16) as chief conductor and artistic director. Under his leadership, the RSB has cemented its place among the top ensembles in Berlin’s orchestral scene and the German broadcasting landscape – with a programming profile that keeps contemporary works, rare repertoire pieces, and the great symphonic tradition equally alive.
Trailer for the 2026/27 Season
Composer, Conductor, Soloist: The Many Facets of Artist in Residence Jörg Widmann
This season, Jörg Widmann will be appearing as Artist in Residence. The internationally renowned composer, clarinetist, and conductor, who has been associated with the RSB for many years, will take on a variety of roles: in two symphony concerts (featuring works by Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Rachmaninoff, and his own compositions), a chamber concert (featuring works by Mozart and his own compositions), and a master class for academy students.
Guest Conductors—and Their Berlin Debuts with the RSB
Renowned guest conductors who are now among the world’s leading figures made their respective Berlin debuts with the RSB: Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Vasily Petrenko, Jakub Hrůša, Alain Altinoglu, Omer Meir Wellber, Lahav Shani, Karina Canellakis (the RSB’s first female guest conductor from 2019 – 23). In recent years, promising collaborations have begun with Tarmo Peltokoski, Petr Popelka, Ruth Reinhardt, Edward Gardner, Nicholas Carter, and others.
Contemporary Soundscape
In the 2026/27 season, 21st-century music will be prominently featured in all its stylistic and cultural diversity. A special focus is placed on works by contemporary composers, including Sara Abazari, Unsuk Chin, Anna Clyne, Kathrin A. Denner, Hannah Eisendle, Georgia Koumárá, Camille Pépin, Kaija Saariaho, Outi Tarkiainen, and Anna Thorvaldsdóttir. The program is complemented by composers such as Thomas Adès, Steven Banks, Tan Dun, Samy Moussa, and Max Richter, as well as artists such as Brandt Brauer Frick, Rob Laidlow, and Andile Khumalo.
From the very beginning, renowned composers of the 20th and 21st centuries have taken the podium of the Berlin Radio Orchestra or performed their own works as soloists: Paul Hindemith, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Hans Pfitzner, Sergei Prokofiev, Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, Vladimir Vogel, Kurt Weill, and Alexander Zemlinsky, as well as, more recently, Krzysztof Penderecki, Berthold Goldschmidt, Peter Maxwell Davies, Friedrich Goldmann, Peter Ruzicka, Daniel Schnyder, Siegfried Matthus, Heinz Holliger, Brett Dean, and Marko Nikodijević.
From the Planetarium to the Cold Storage Facility—Symphony Concerts and Much More
In addition to 25 symphony concerts at the Berlin Philharmonie and the Konzerthaus Berlin, this season also features events for virtually every audience: Concerts in the Großer Sendesaal at the Haus des Rundfunks as part of the "Jazzik" series, "storytelling concerts," family concerts, school concerts, guided rehearsals, and "Concerts for All."
"Concert for All" Trailer
The KinderKünsteZentrum Berlin and the Exploratorium Berlin host numerous performances from the "Rapauke" series for preschoolers. The RSB invites audiences to chamber concerts at the Kühlhaus Berlin, the Theater im Delphi, the Ballhaus Wedding, and the Kulturquartier silent green—all curated and performed by members of the orchestra. In addition, micro-concerts are offered at the Humboldt Forum and concert broadcasts at the Zeiss Großplanetarium.
Broadcast and recorded worldwide
Nearly all symphony concerts are recorded for radio and broadcast worldwide on Deutschlandfunk, rbb Radio, and via the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). In 2025, there were 86 concert broadcasts in 26 countries. In addition, the RSB produces numerous studio recordings, often featuring valuable repertoire rarities: most recently, Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 by Paul Büttner, the Piano Concerto, Op. 2, and the Symphony, Op. 4, by Leokadiya Kashperova, the music by Engelbert Humperdinck for the stage work "Das Mirakel," as well as Emil von Sauer’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Conrad Ansorge’s Piano Concerto, Op. 28 (all released by Capriccio).
The RSB performs live both nationally and internationally. For more than 50 years, it has made regular guest appearances at German and European festivals, in the Far East, and in music centers around the world. Eleven guest performances during the 2026/27 season will take the orchestra to Munich, Vienna, Innsbruck, Hamburg, and the Varna International Music Festival in Bulgaria, among other destinations.