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 (with tenure to begin in 2027) is Klaus Mäkelä, who has been working closely with the orchestra since 2022; Iván Fischer is Honorary Guest Conductor. Such esteemed composers as Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss have conducted the orchestra. Today, the RCO continues to work regularly with contemporary composers. With more than 80 concerts in Amsterdam and around 40 performances on tours around the world, the orchestra reaches 250,000 classical music fans per season. Since 2004, it has released its recordings on its own label, RCO live, in addition to streaming and radio and TV broadcasts. The orchestra is committed to promoting young musical talent through the RCO Academy and RCO Young, its youth orchestra. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is co-financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science; the City of Amsterdam; 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

August 2025