Biography

More than 100 exceptional musicians make up the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, a multiple-award-winning ensemble renowned for its high artistic standard and stylistic breadth, as well as collaborations with the world’s finest composers, conductors, and soloists.

Daniel Harding has been Music Director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra since 2007, and since 2019 also the orchestra’s first ever Artistic Director. His tenure will last throughout the 2024/2025 season. “It is increasingly rare for the relationship between a conductor and an orchestra not only to last for more than a decade, but to keep growing,” Harding says about working with the orchestra. On his 15th anniversary with the orchestra, he described it as his musical family. “I’ve never conducted a concert in which the orchestra hasn’t played as if its life depended on it.”

The first radio orchestra was founded in 1925, coinciding with Sweden’s first national radio broadcasts. Throughout the 20th century, chief conductors like Sergiu Celibidache and Herbert Blomstedt furthered the orchestra’s musical development and international renown. Two of the SRSO’s former chief conductors, Herbert Blomstedt and Esa-Pekka Salonen, have since been named Conductors Laureate, and continue to make regular appearances with the orchestra.

Performances and Global Reach of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra performs at Berwaldhallen, concert hall of the Swedish Radio, and is a cornerstone of Swedish public service broadcasting. Its concerts are heard weekly on the classical radio P2 and regularly on national public television SVT, as well as globally through the European broadcast alliance EBU. During the pandemic, its much-appreciated on-demand streamed concerts on Berwaldhallen Play brought further worldwide attention to the orchestra.

Recent international performances and recordings of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

The orchestra tours regularly, receiving invitations from all over Europe and the world. In March 2023, Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra performed two programmes at the Musikverein in Vienna, with highlights including Robert Schumann’s Manfred performed with the Wiener Singverein and actor Cornelius Obonya, and Schumann’s Violin Concerto with Christian Tetzlaff. In September 2023, Harding and the orchestra played an all-Sibelius programme at the Sibelius Festival in Lahti, Finland, featuring María Dueñas in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.

The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra has an extensive and acclaimed recording catalogue. Recent releases include Jesper Nordin’s triptych Röster, works by Britten featuring Andrew Staples and the SRSO’s solo hornist Chris Parkes, and Eduard Tubin’s Double Bass Concerto with the SRSO’s solo bassist Rick Stotijn. Daniel Harding’s other noteworthy recordings with the SRSO include Schönberg’s Violin Concerto with Isabelle Faust, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem featuring Christiane Karg and Matthias Goerne, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.

  • Music Director Daniel Harding

    Harding has been the Music Director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra since 2007, and since 2019, also the orchestra's first Artistic Director. The 2024/2025 season will be his last in these roles

    Daniel Harding, Chief Conductor
  • Musicians in the Orchestra

    Want to know who plays in the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra? Here, you can find all the members and see which instruments they play.

    Members of th Orchestra

More About the Swedish Symphony Orchestra

  • About the Orchestra

    One of Europe's foremost and most versatile orchestras.Known as the Radio Symphonics in everyday speech, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra has left a major mark on the music world.
  • Collaboration with Kulturskolan

    The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra is passionate about giving children and young people the opportunity to discover symphonic music. Therefore, we collaborate...
  • Work in Berwaldhallen

    Do you dream of playing in the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, singing in the Radio Choir, becoming part of our marketing team, providing excellent service to concertgoers or working with the Berwaldhallen administration?
  • Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra members

    Contact details for members of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Upcoming Concerts

  • Few seats remaining
    22–23 May
    170 - 560 kr

    Joshua Bell in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto

    Daniel Harding’s final performance as Music Director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Berwaldhallen with internationally renowned violinist Joshua Bell in Felix Mendelssohn’s violin concerto and Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde.
    Read more & tickets
  • 6 September

    Schubert's Octet with Janine Jansen

    Star violinist Janine Jansen invites you to an evening entirely devoted to Schubert's magnificent octet at Musikaliska Kvarteret in Stockholm.
    Read more
  • 7 September
    450 - 750 kr

    Salonen & Grigorian in music by Strauss & Bruckner

    A masterful encounter takes place as super soprano Asmik Grigorian and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen conclude the Baltic Sea Festival.
    Read more & tickets
  • 12–13 September
    130 - 475 kr

    Mahler & Brahms with Emelyanychev

    Music by Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler is on the program when principal guest conductor Maxim Emelyanychev leads the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and pianist Francesco Piemontesi.
    Read more & tickets
  • 25–26 September
    130 - 475 kr

    Adès, Gerstein & Sibelius

    The British conductor and composer Thomas Adès visits the Swedish Radio concert hall Berwaldhallen with pianist Kiril Gerstein.
    Read more & tickets
  • 1 October
    100 - 420 kr

    Discover Mozart’s Gran Partita  

    Discover Mozart’s Serenade No. 10 Gran Partita with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Gregor Zubicky!
    Read more & tickets
  • 2 October
    100 - 420 kr

    Mozarts Gran Partita

    Musicians from the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra performs Andrea Tarrodis Serenade in Seven Colours andMozarts Serenad no 10 "Gran Partita".
    Read more & tickets