Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) was founded in 1888 to mark the inauguration of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw concert hall. Since its 100th anniversary in 1988, it has included the word “royal” in its name, and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands is its patron. Its first Chief Conductor was Willem Kees, who handed the baton on to Willem Mengelberg in 1895. Mengelberg shaped the orchestra for five decades and established its great Mahler tradition. After the Second World War, Eduard van Beinum took over the leadership, followed by Bernard Haitink (1961–1988), Riccardo Chailly (1988–2004), Mariss Jansons (2004–2015), and Daniele Gatti (2016–2018). The designated Chief Conductor (whose tenure begins in 2027) is Klaus Mäkelä, who has been closely associated with the orchestra since 2020; Iván Fischer is Honorary Guest Conductor. Such esteemed composers as Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, and Igor Stravinsky have conducted the orchestra, and the RCO, which comprises musicians from 25 countries, continues to work regularly with contemporary composers. Each year it presents some 130 concerts in Amsterdam and on international tours, and it has released recordings on its own label, “RCO live,” since 2004, in addition to streaming and radio and TV broadcasts. The orchestra is committed to promoting the next generation through the RCO Academy and RCO Young, its youth orchestra, which was founded in 2019. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is co-financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science, by the City of Amsterdam, and by sponsors, foundations, and patrons from around the world.

Lucerne Festival (IMF) debut on 3 September 1972 with music of Stravinsky and Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony under the direction of Bernard Haitink.

Further information: www.concertgebouw.nl

March 2026