Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Based in Amsterdam, the Concertgebouworkest was founded in 1888 and officially received the appellation ‘Royal’ on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands is patroness. The Concertgebouworkest is one of the very best orchestras in the world due to its unique sound and stylistic flexibility. An important factor leading to the consistent quality is the influence exerted on the orchestra by its chief conductors, of which there have been only seven since the orchestra was founded in 1888: Willem Kes, Willem Mengelberg, Eduard van Beinum, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Mariss Jansons and Daniele Gatti. In addition to some ninety concerts performed at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, forty concerts are given at leading concert halls throughout the world each year. The Concertgebouworkest has made over 1,100 LP, CD and DVD recordings to date, many of which have won international distinctions. The orchestra has its own in-house label and helps develop talent through the Academy of the Concertgebouworkest, collaborative efforts with other institutions and organising masterclasses. In 2019 Young was launched: a youth orchestra for ‘hidden talent’ from all over Europe. It is an offshoot of the ambitious tour through all member states of the EU between 2016 and 2018, during which in each country one work was performed together with a local youth orchestra (Side by Side).