Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra

The Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra (HSO) is one of Scandinavia’s leading, most innovative orchestras. It has the reputation of being extremely ambitious and it relishes in a constant succession of new challenges.

The HSO was founded in 1912 and, since the 1980s has been recognized on an international level. This is not only due to the appointment of exceptionally professional, well-established Principal Conductors, but also to the artistic skills and commitment of the musicians. The 54 members of the orchestra have a sensitive, carefully cultivated style of playing, with the ability to combine precision with musical zeal to be both dedicated and disciplined. This renders a very distinctive sound: clear, vivacious and expressive.

One highlight of many successful international tours was in the autumn of 1999 with former Principal Conductor Okko Kamu. This particular tour took the HSO to both Germany and Austria, where it performed at some of Europe’s most prestigious arenas: the Liederhalle in Stuttgart, die Philharmonie in Cologne and das Grosses Festspielhaus in Salzburg. In the spring of 2001 the orchestra took part in an international opera gala led by Bertrand de Billy at the Théatre Musical du Châtelet in Paris.

The Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra performs 70-80 concerts a season. Most of these are held in the Helsingborg Concert Hall but the HSO regularly gives regional concerts and participates or organizes festivals and outdoor concerts in other parts of Sweden and in Denmark. In fall 2006 they were a featured ensemble for a major Shostakovich retrospective held in Sweden and Denmark.

The HSO is renowned for its performances of music from the Classical and Romantic periods as well as contemporary music. The orchestra works on a regular basis with internationally celebrated conductors and soloists, who often express their deep appreciation of the orchestra’s professionalism, enthusiasm and warmth.

The HSO’s CD recordings have been released to critical acclaim. Franz Berwald’s Symphonies (Naxos, 1995) was awarded a Diapason d’Or, and the Benjamin Britten recording (Ondine, 1994) featuring piano soloist Ralf Gothoni achieved a coup over other major new releases by making the Editor’s Choice list in the British magazine Gramophone—the first Swedish symphony orchestra to do so. The CD recording of Swedish Classical Favourites (Naxos, 1995), conducted by Okko Kamu, received both gold and platinum discs, and remains among Sweden’s best-selling classical albums.

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