From its first days the London Symphony Orchestra has been defiantly different and proudly pioneering.

It was the first British orchestra owned by its players, and its fiercly independent ethos has never waned. It was one of the first orchestras to make gramophone records and film scores; today it has more recordings to its name than any other orchestra in the world. It was the first to have its own peak-time television series. And more than a century on, the revolution continues.

Now in its twelfth decade, the history of the LSO contains many of the important developments of British orchestral life, including premieres of now-popular works and relationships with some of the greatest conductors.

The London Symphony Orchestra performs over 120 concerts a year and was named by Gramophone as one of the top five orchestras in the world.

The LSO has an enviable family of artists; our conductors include Sir Simon Rattle as Music Director, Gianandrea Noseda and François-Xavier Roth as Principal Guest Conductors, Michael Tilson Thomas as Conductor Laureate, and André Previn as Conductor Emeritus.

We also have long-standing relationships with some of the leading musicians in the world – Bernard Haitink, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mitsuko Uchida and Maria João Pires, amongst others.

The Orchestra is self-governing and made up of nearly a hundred talented players who also perform regularly as soloists and in chamber groups at LSO St Luke's. The LSO is widely acclaimed by audiences and critics alike.

The LSO is proud to be Resident Orchestra at the Barbican Centre in the City of London, where it performs around 70 concerts a year. The residency has enabled the Orchestra to establish a truly loyal audience and to fulfil many artistic aspirations. Joint projects between the Orchestra and the Barbican place us at the heart of the Centre's programme.

The LSO also enjoys successful residencies at the Lincoln Center in New York, at the Philharmonie de Paris, and at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Other regular tour destinations include the Far East, North America and all the major European cities.

Touring has been a part of the Orchestra's life since the very beginning. In its early years, the LSO made annual provincial tours, travelling around the country by train for two weeks at a time. The first of these tours in 1905 was conducted by Sir Edward Elgar and featured many of his own compositions. The Orchestra's first tour abroad was to Paris in 1906 when the Orchestra travelled with the 300-strong Leeds Choral Union to give two performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Théâtre du Chatelet.

In 1912, the LSO embarked on a famous three-week tour to the United States, the first British orchestra to visit those distant shores. Legend has it that they narrowly avoided travelling on the ill-fated Titanic, sailing instead a few days earlier on her sister ship, the Baltic.

The LSO is set apart from other international orchestras by the depth of its commitment to music education, reaching over 65,000 people each year. LSO Discovery enables the Orchestra to offer people of all ages opportunities to get involved in music-making and to enter the extraordinary sound world of the Orchestra.

Recent projects include LSO On Track, a long-standing venture involving young musicians from across East London, which has given a platform to talented teenagers to appear in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, at outdoor concerts in Trafalgar Square, and also on Abbey Road recordings side-by-side with LSO musicians; and LSO Sing – a programme of singing activities designed to draw in singers of all ages and abilities.

LSO St Luke’s is the home of LSO Discovery. As well as offering chamber and solo recitals, it provides inspiring experiences for all kinds of music lovers. LSO St Luke's artistic partners include BBC Radio 3, Barbican, Guildhall School and jazz, world and comtemporary music promoters Serious and soundUK.

When the corridors aren't filled with music, the building is an ideal location for corporate and private events – this unique heritage space provides a canvas that can be easily adapted to suit any occasion. Income from hire fees helps support the education work of the London Symphony Orchestra.

Capturing live performances at the Barbican, LSO Live is the most successful label of its kind in the world. LSO Live has over 100 releases – its hundredth recording in summer 2014, the Sir Colin Davis Anthology, was released in memory of the Orchestra’s late President – all of which are available globally on CD, SACD, digital downloads and from streaming platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify.

Recent releases include Verdi Requiem with Gianandrea Noseda, Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night's Dream with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, the LSO Wind Ensemble's debut release of Mozart's Gran Partita and a disc of works by Thomas Adès.

The LSO also captures performances on video which can be seen on a variety of digital platforms, including live streams on the LSO's own YouTube channel, LSO Play, Digital Theatre, medici.tv and on Pure Audio Blu-ray.

The LSO is a world-leader in recording music for film, television and events. It was the official Orchestra of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games ceremonies, memorably performing Chariots of Fire on stage in the Opening Ceremony, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and with Rowan Atkinson.

The LSO also has recorded music for films including Philomena, The Monuments Men, four of the Harry Potter movies including The Deathly Hallows Parts I and II, The Queen, The Ides of March, Star Wars Episodes I–VI, Superman, Nanny McPhee, The Danish Girl, The Shape of Water and hundreds more.

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