Neeme Järvi was appointed Artistic and Music Director on 1 September 2012. The Principal Guest Conductor is the young Japanese conductor Kazuki Yamada.
Under the guidance of its founding conductor and subsequent music directors (Paul Kletzki 1967- 1970, Wolfgang Sawallisch 1970-1980, Horst Stein 1980-1985, Armin Jordan 1985-1997, Fabio Luisi 1997-2002, Pinchas Steinberg 2002-2005, Marek Janowski 2005-2012), the world-famous Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is an active contributor to the history of music through the discovery or support of leading contemporary composers whose works have been premiered in Geneva, including pieces by Benjamin Britten, Claude Debussy, Pascal Dusapin, Peter Eötvös, Heinz Holliger, Arthur Honegger, James MacMillan, Frank Martin, Darius Milhaud and Igor Stravinsky. Since 2000, in collaboration with Radio Suisse Romande, the Orchestra has performed over 20 world premières. It also supports Swiss artists by regularly commissioning works from William Blank, Michael Jarrell, Richard Dubugnon and Jean-Luc Darbellay. The OSR is a partner of Pro Helvetia until 2017 for the project “Oeuvres suisses”.
From its very early days and in close collaboration with the Radio-Télévision Suisse Romande, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande has been broadcast on radio around the world, enabling millions of listeners to tune in. With the advent of recording, their radio broadcasts increased rapidly thanks to a partnership with Decca, which produced over 100 legendary recordings. The OSR has also recorded for Æon, Cascavelle, Denon, EMI, Erato, Harmonia Mundi and Philips, which have won major awards. For PentaTone, the OSR recorded all of Bruckner’s symphonies, which they completed in 2012, and will develop a privileged partnership as from the 2014-2015 season. Several projects are planned with Chandos under Maestro Järvi.
The OSR’s international tours have led them to perform in the most prestigious venues in Europe (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, London, Vienna, Salzburg, Brussels, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Budapest, Milan, Rome, Amsterdam and Istanbul), Asia (Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing), as well as in major cities on the American continent (Boston, New York, San Francisco, Washington, São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Montevideo). During the 2011-2012 season the OSR gave its first performances in Moscow and St Petersburg. In July 2014 the OSR returned to Japan (Suntory Hall) and Seoul, to the SeongNam Arts Center. During the 2014-2015 season the orchestra will engage on a US tour visiting renowned concert halls on both the West and the East Coast.
The Orchestra has been invited by many festivals. Since 2000 they have appeared at the Budapest Spring Festival, the Chorégies d’Orange, Música de Canarias Festival, Lucerne Easter and Summer Festivals, the Festival de Radio France and Montpellier, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, the Robeco Zomerconcerten, Septembre Musical de Montreux and the Bucharest Festival.
The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is funded bythe Canton and City of Geneva, Radio-Télévision Suisse Romande, associations of Friends of the Orchestra and many sponsors and patrons. For the concerts in Lausanne, the OSR receives generous support from the Canton of Vaud.
