The Vienna Chamber Orchestra

Founded in 1946, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra today looks back on a rich musical heritage shaped by many important milestones. These include Benjamin Britten’s conducting in 1946, the debut of the then nine-year-old Daniel Barenboim in 1952, and an appearance by Alfred Brendel in 1964. That legacy continued through collaboration with outstanding conductors such as Carlo Zecchi, Philippe Entremont, Yehudi Menuhin, Sándor Végh, Heinrich Schiff, and Stefan Vladar. The list of internationally renowned soloists would be far too long to name here.

Since its foundation the Vienna Chamber Orchestra has presented a matinee series in the Mozart Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus. For decades it has

been deeply committed to supporting young talent, presenting emerging artists at the beginning of their careers in the Prime Time International series in the Schubert Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus.

The orchestra is also a regular guest in the Symphonie Classique cycle in the Great Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus.

The orchestra also appears regularly at the Vienna Musikverein. Since 2012 it has been a partner of Theater an der Wien and the

Vienna Chamber Opera, and since the launch of the Vienna Opera Summer in 2024 it has been a festival partner. For 2024–2029 the orchestra is also a partner of the

Liszt Festival Raiding for several annual projects. As an official partner of the Johann Strauss 2025 initiative, the orchestra gives

many additional concerts in Vienna.

The orchestra’s international standing is reflected in its busy touring schedule. In the last two years alone the Vienna Chamber Orchestra has been invited to concerts in Japan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and Argentina. Upcoming tours take the ensemble to Oman (Royal Opera House Muscat) and again to Vietnam.

Rooted in historically informed performance practice, chief conductor Jan Willem de Vriend and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra explore repertoire with particular stylistic depth.

In this way the orchestra can probe composers’ intentions as closely as possible to the original idea, while anchoring every performance in the here and now.