ABOUT US

MISSION

Founded in 1979, the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra has become one of the most interesting cultural actors in its Country in recent years. From the Orchestra's union with the European conductors was born a rare fusion of sensual Ukrainian musicality and Western analytical attitude. Each concert is constructed as an exciting journey through works from different periods and styles, threaded together by common themes and influences.

The repertoire of KSO spans from the 16th century to the younger generation of today's composers, and precisely for the quality of their interpretations of contemporary music, in 2022 KSO was awarded the prestigious Musical Contest Prize of the Fondation Prince Pierre of Monaco.

KSO performed in some of the most important European concert halls, such as Berliner Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Cité de la musique in Paris, and Warsaw Philharmonic, as well as in front of NATO leaders at the Madrid Summit on 29 June 2022.


In its hometown KSO is often invited to play also at major national holidays; in 2021 the Orchestra played for the 25th anniversary of the Constitution of Ukraine in front of the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) and at the Olympic Stadium for the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.

On the operatic side, KSO performed Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine on the stage of the National Opera in Kyiv, as well as at the German Musikfestspiele Königswinkel 2021 with a cast of international stars under the baton of Lothar Zagrozek. KSO premiered the opera Night by the Ukrainian composer Maksym Kolomiiets and released it on video version.

In the educational field, KSO regularly organizes concerts for children, open dress rehearsals, interactive events, and projects such as the Kyiv Zoomphony, in which members of the Orchestra talk a.o. with colleagues from Vienna State Opera, Concertgebouw, and Washington National Opera.

Since 2023 under the patronage of the Berliner Philharmoniker.