In 1947, by decree of King Michael I of Romania, the “Banatul” Philharmonic was founded in Timișoara. The first Festive Concert took place on April 27, 1947, ten days after the actual founding act, and the conductor George Pavel presented the following program: Divertisment rustic (Dance and Wedding Song) by S. V. Drăgoi, Eight Russian Songs by A. K. Liadov and the Overture to the opera The Singing Masters by R. Wagner.

The first actual concert of the “Banatul” Philharmonic took place on June 8, 1947, with both the „Banatul” Philharmonic and the Philharmonic Society of Friends of Music on the bill. The guest artists were the pianist Monique de la Bruchollerie (France) and the conductor Charles Bruck who, although adopted by the city on the Seine, did not forget his roots in Banat.

The first season of proper concerts was inaugurated on 26 October 1947, following a series of numerous concerts whose programmes did not lack Romanian works, which reveals the importance that the Philharmonic gave to Romanian music from the beginning, assuming the quality of promoter of our culture and cultural identity. As testimony to the artistic activity of the first season of the Philharmonic is the article published on 24 May 1948 by Sabin V. Drăgoi in Luptătorul bănățean [The Banat Figher]: „The orchestra is in full evolution… Regular concerts… well attended, accessible to all through popular and not luxurious admission prices, this is how this soul food can creep into the broadest strata of the masses like a beneficial and recreational balm.”

Among the guest artists who have honoured the Timisoara audience since the beginnings of the newly established institution we mention the conductors: Constantin Bugeanu, Colonel Iosif Klein, László Somagyi, Traian Mihăilescu, Egizzio Masini, Alfred Mendelsohn, Constantin Sivestri; and the soloists – Elise Cserfalvy (violinist), Monique de la Bruchollerie (pianist), Ion Voicu (violinist), Miloš Sadlo (cellist), Ecaterina Vâlcovici (soprano), Radu Aldulescu (cellist).

Starting with the next season, many well-known artists have been invited, together with the permanent conductors Mircea Popa and Paul Popescu. Constantin Sivestri and Egizzi Masini, who were also invited in the previous season, also took the podium, as well as Constantin Bobescu, Atanasie Margaritoff (Bulgaria), Theodor Rogalski, George Georgescu, Jean Bobescu, Edgar Cosma, Sergiu Celibidache, Mihai Brediceanu, Emanuel Elenescu, Nicolae Boboc, Mircea Basarab, Antonin Ciolan, Nicolae Brânzeu, Radu Botez.

Among the invited soloists we mention the pianists: Mândru Katz, Leo Freund, Ella Philipp, Grete Miletineanu, Jesette Hârsu, Xenia Moscu, Valentin Gheorghiu, Gheorghe Halmoș, Sylvia Șerbescu, Sanda Bobescu, Alexandru Demetriad, Corneliu Gheorghiu, Miron Șoarec, Dan Grigore, Elisabeth Leonskaja; violinists: Ion Voicu, Virgil Pop, Lucian Savin, Nicolae Drăgoi, Mihai Constantinescu, Ștefan Gheorghiu, Mircea Săulescu, Ștefan Ruha; cellists: Radu Aldulescu and Vladimir Orlov.

In the 2022-2023 season, the “Banatul” Philharmonic in Timișoara enjoyed the presence of conductors on stage: Gabriel Bebeșelea (Conductor-in-Residence of the Filarmonica Banatul Timișoara in 2023), Róbert Farkas (Principal Guest Conductor of the Filarmonica Banatul Timișoara), Stefan Geiger (Principal Guest Conductor of the Filarmonica Banatul Timișoara in the 2022-2023 season), Cristian Măcelaru (Principal Conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester Cologne, Artistic Director of the French National Orchestra, Artistic Director of the George Enescu International Festival), Sasha Goetzel, Ruben Gazarian, Radu Paponiu, David Crescenzi, Valentin Uryupin, Sander Teepens, Walter Hilgers, Huba Hollókői, Sergey Simakov, Dionysis Grammenos, Gheorghe Costin, as well as soloists: Andrei Ioniță (soloist in Residence of the Banat Philharmonic Timișoara for the year 2023 – European Capital of Culture), Wynton Marsalis, David Fray, Nicola Benedetti, Sarah Nemțanu, Alexander Boldakev, Rosanne Philippens, Szimon Nehring, Bryan Cheng, Máté Szücs, Alexandru Tomescu, Florin Iliescu, Ionuț Podgoreanu, Felicia Greciuc etc.