The National Radio Orchestra has already a several decade history. Created in 1928 by the composer Mihail Jora and aimed at meeting the musical requirements of the recently founded Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, the orchestra entered the public circuit of musical seasons as early as 1932. After Mihail Jora, it was conducted by further celebrities of the time, such as: Alfred Alessandrescu, Theodor Rogalski, Ionel Perlea, Constantin Silvestri.

Tour by tour, at its music desk came important conductors with either permanent or guest status, among whom one should mention Iosif Conta, Emanuel Elenescu, Paul Popescu, Horia Andreescu for the first category, and George Enescu, Ion Baciu, Erich Bergel, Constantin Bugeanu, Sergiu Comissiona, Mendi Rodan, Gheorghe Costin, I. Ionescu Galati, Cristian Mandeal, Ion Marin, Emil Simon, for the latter. 

The list of leading soloists included violinists like Lola Bobescu, Ion Voicu, Eugen Sârbu, Silvia Marcovici, Mihaela Martin, Cristina Anghelescu, Florin Croitoru, Gabriel Croitoru, Florin Ionescu-Galati, Alexandru Tomescu; cellists as Radu Aldulescu, Marin Cazacu, Alexandru Morosanu, Vladimir Orlov; pianists like Valentin Gheorghiu, Dana Borsan, Daniel Goiti, Dan Grigore, Radu Lupu, Mihaela Ursuleasa, singers as Viorica Cortez, Ileana Cotrubas, Ruxandra Donose, Angela Gheorghiu, Pompei Harasteanu, Nicolae Herlea, Eugenia Moldoveanu, David Ohanesian, Gheorghe Rosu, Maria Slatinaru Nistor, Ludovic Spiess, Georgeta Stoleriu, Eduard Tumagian and Ionel Voineag.

Among the renowned guests invited from abroad to join the National Radio Orchestra’s concerts, it is worth noting the following: Lorin Maazel, Igor Markevitch, Kurt Masur, Willem Mengelberg, Václav Neumann, Hermann Scherchen, Leopold Stokowski, Carlo Zecchi, Ghenadi Rojdestvenski, Michel Plasson, Aaron Copland, Vakhtang Jordania, Emil Ceakarov, Roberto Benzi, Jin Wang; pianists Monique de la Bruchollerie, Aldo Ciccolini, Emil Ghilels, Nelson Goerner, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Nikita Magaloff, Garrick Ohlson, Gerhard Opitz, Sviatoslav Richter, Francois – Joël Thiollier, Elisso Virsaladze; violinists Isaac Stern, David Oistrach, Yehudi Menuhin, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Gidon Kremer, Oleg Kagan; cellists Mstislav Rostropovici, Alexandr Rudin; the organ player Pierre Cochereau and the singers Monserrat Caballé, Eliane Coelho, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti.

Its repertoire covers the whole palette of genres – from symphonic miniature to monumental vocal-symphonic compositions, from Baroque music to the most updated tendencies in the field.

By assuming the noble mission of broadcasting Romanian creation, the National Radio Orchestra is the ensemble with the largest number of Romanian composers’ first auditions, promoting live and by waves alike the most significant works written along the last century and nowadays.

The radio and TV recordings, as well as the season’s concerts live broadcasts (among which some diffused via EBU at international scale), witness about the high-level performance of this elite orchestra whose recording production was awarded major national and international distinctions: Charles Cros –France, Puerta del Sol – Uruguay, Koussevitzky – USA.

Its numerous tours in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Russia, Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Japan, China, fully acknowledged the National Radio Orchestra’s repute among the most valuable worldwide radio institutions.