History

Since the early 19th century, Antwerp has had a long-standing tradition of philharmonic societies. The orchestra’s oldest precursor, the Sociéte Royale d’Harmonie d’Anvers, was founded in 1814. The orchestra of the Royal Zoological Society and the Maatschappij der Nieuwe Concerten’ (Society for New Concerts) are probably better known. The latter, which was founded and led by Lodewijk Mortelmans, invited acclaimed musicians such as Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Pablo Casals to give concerts in the Zoo’s Great Festival Hall.

After World War II, Antwerp fell silent, however. The existing orchestras folded, and most concert venues were damaged during the war. Only the orchestra of the Royal Opera of Flanders continued to give performances.

De Philharmonie

De Philharmonie was founded in November 1955 to remediate this situation. The first rehearsals took place under the baton of Gaston Ariën. One year later, on 10 December 1956, the orchestra gave its very first concert. In the 1960s, De Philharmonie flourished thanks to the appointment of Eduard Flipse, the orchestra’s first chief conductor, and the opening of the Queen Elisabeth Hall. The orchestra finally had a concert hall deserving of the name.

Royal Flemish Philharmonic

From the end of the 1980s onwards, the orchestra increasingly carved out a niche for itself, with performances in two major Antwerp venues: the Queen Elisabeth Hall and De Singel. Concert programmes included works by Flemish contemporary composers such as Luc Brewaeys, Luc Van Hove and Wim Henderickx. In 1998, Philippe Herreweghe was appointed as artistic director. He has been affiliated with the orchestra since then. In 2002, growing international interest in the orchestra led to a rebranding, with the orchestra being renamed the Royal Flemish Philharmonic (deFilharmonie in Flemish). In 2008, Jaap van Zweden was appointed chief conductor, Martyn Brabbins as principal guest conductor and Philippe Herreweghe principal conductor. This provided the orchestra with a solid, artistic base to work from. In 2011, Edo de Waart succeeded Van Zweden as chief conductor, a position he held until 2016.

Golden Queen Elisabeth Hall

In 2011, the decision was made to build a new Queen Elisabeth Hall, with support from the Flemish Community and after consultation with the Flemish Master Architect. deFilharmonie was to become the hall’s orchestra in residence. After several years of construction, the new, golden Queen Elisabeth Hall was inaugurated in November 2016 by Queen Mathilde. DeFilharmonie gave four opening concerts, which were all sold out. From then on, the orchestra rehearsed, performed, and recorded all its music in its new home base.

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

The new concert hall, with international allure, also prompted another rebranding of the orchestra as the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra contributed to Antwerp’s reputation as a concert city and city of culture, with its residence in the Queen Elisabeth Hall. Since the 2017-2018 season, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra has welcomed several leading international orchestras in its residence, including the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Filarmonica della Scala, and the Wiener Philharmoniker. In so doing, the orchestra has expanded the international symphonic offering in Antwerp, with a superb selection of concerts that supplement its own programme. This also served to further enhance the Queen Elisabeth Hall’s reputation as a prestigious concert venue for world-class concert experiences.

Since the opening of the Golden Hall, the orchestra has given around fifty concerts a year at its residence. From 2019 to 2024, it will do so frequently under the baton of chief conductor Elim Chan. Thanks to its high-quality programming, the hall is becoming an international cultural beacon in Antwerp, and the orchestra is increasingly performing at major concert venues at home and abroad. From September 2026, Marc Albrecht continues this tradition as the orchestra's new chief conductor.