The Athens State Orchestra is Greece’s leading symphony orchestra. Founded in the late 19th century as the Athens Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, it has had various names and legal forms down the decades. It performed its first concert as the Athens State Orchestra on February 28th, 1943.
Since its founding, the Athens State Orchestra has offered Greek audience the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the masterpieces of the world’s repertoire while also championing Greek composers and compositions. A consistent presence on the Greek cultural scene, the orchestra performs over fifty concerts a year. In addition to its appearances in Athens, the Athens State Orchestra regularly performs in other Greek cities, as well as at prestigious venues and festivals abroad. It also runs a significant social and educational program throughout Greece.
Over its long history, the Athens State Orchestra has been conducted by prominent conductors including Richard Strauss, Felix Weingartner, Hans Knappertsbusch, Bruno Walter, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Eugen Jochum, Igor Markevitch, Lorin Maazel, Yuri Temirkanov, Michel Plasson, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Vladimir Fedoseyef, as well as accompanying outstanding soloists, among them Arthur Rubenstein, Wilhelm Kempff, Alfred Cortot, Fritz Kreisler, Jacques Thibaud, Pablo Casals, Mstislav Rostropovich, Alfred Brendel, Daniel Barenboim, Martha Argerich, Elisabeth Leonskaya and Leonidas Kavakos.
Loukas Karytinos has served as the Artistic Director of the Athens State Orchestra since October 2020.
