The orchestra began its performing activity on 1 September 1967 as Symphonisches Orchester Berlin, under the auspices of the Berliner Orchestervereinigung e.V., after the merger of two independent orchestras, the Berliner Symphonisches Orchester and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester. Carl August Bünte, who had been chief conductor of the Berliner Symphonisches Orchester, was the first chief conductor of the newly formed ensemble, and held the position until 1973. From 1967 to 1990, the orchestra performed as the Symphonisches Orchester Berlin. In 1990, the orchestra was renamed the Berliner Symphoniker.
In 2004, the Berlin Senate withdrew its support of the orchestra, which subsequently entered bankruptcy proceedings. Subsequently, the Berolina Orchester eV association took over management of the orchestra. Since 2019, the current Intendantin (managing director) of the orchestra is Sabine Völker, the first woman to hold the post.
The longest-serving chief conductor of the orchestra was Lior Shambadal, from 1996 to 2019. In April 2021, the orchestra announced the appointment of Hansjörg Schellenberger as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021-2022 season.[2]
Concert tours
1996: Brazil
1998–2000: USA, Egypt, United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, Italy
2001: Italy, United Kingdom, South America
2002: Japan
2004: Japan, Hungary, Czech Republic, Frankfurt am Main
2005: South Korea, China, Switzerland, Italy, Greece
2006: Spain, Switzerland
2007: Argentina (Buenos Aires; International Festival Ushuaia), Italy, Japan, China
^This orchestra is not to be confused with the earlier Berliner Symphoniker of East Berlin, which was founded in 1950 and discontinued in the 1980s, or the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester, also in former East-Berlin, which in 2006 was renamed the Konzerthausorchester Berlin.
