Annual report 2025: Presentation

Concerts in-house

In 2025, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra produced 66 concerts in-house, both at the Queen Elisabeth Hall and at other venues across Antwerp, managing the promotion, ticketing, and front-of-house services.

Front-of-house

The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra manages the entire audience experience in-house for its concerts at the Queen Elisabeth Hall and AMUZ, supported by an extensive team of hosts. This ensures the seamless integration of various guest services during a concert evening, ranging from the sale of programme books to the coordination of audience flows for introductions, signing sessions, and meet-and-greets.

Groups

The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra places great value on community groups and associations, which form an essential part of the social landscape in Flanders. In collaboration with local tourism partners, we develop special, bespoke group deals to welcome these organisations.

Through our academic, cultural, and alliance partners, we also reach a significant number of concertgoers, many of whom are visiting a classical concert hall for the first time. For businesses located in the vicinity of the Queen Elisabeth Hall, we have established local ‘neighbourhood partnerships’, allowing employees to attend selected concerts at preferential rates.

Custodian of the classical repertoire at  the Queen Elisabeth Hall

Elisabeth Klassiek

As the resident orchestra of the Queen Elisabeth Hall, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra also serves as the guardian of the classical repertoire within the 'Golden Hall'. ‘Elisabeth Klassiek’ is the hallmark of quality granted by the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra to classical concerts of the highest calibre.

Laureates of the Queen Elisabeth Competition

As one of the three Belgian musical institutions associated with the name of Queen Elisabeth, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra is proud to offer a platform to laureates and winners of the Queen Elisabeth Competition. These talented artists have the opportunity to shine on the prestigious stage of the Golden Hall, performing alongside a world-class orchestra.

In January, cellist Hayoung Choi (First Prize 2022) was the central guest for 'Elisabeth Week'. During this week, we collaborated with her to produce the first edition of a new recording series featuring laureates of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, benefiting from the outstanding acoustics of the Queen Elisabeth Hall. We also extended a warm welcome to pianist Hannes Minnaar (laureate 2010), composer Piet Swerts (First Prize 1987), and violinist Clara-Jumi Kang (laureate 2005).

International guest orchestras

In 2025, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with Cofena vzw, continued to host world-renowned international orchestras at its residence. Through this partnership, the orchestra expands the international symphonic offering in Antwerp with a selection of top-tier concerts that complement its own programme, while strengthening its own standing within an international context.

These seven concerts further enhanced the prestige of the Queen Elisabeth Hall and increased Antwerp's visibility as a major music hub on the international circuit. In 2025, we were honoured to welcome the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and the Münchner Philharmoniker.

Fundraising and partners

The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra actively involves the business community in its operations, offering companies the opportunity to align themselves with the orchestra. Furthermore, in 2025, there was a specific emphasis on collaborating with non-artistic partners. These partners can benefit from the orchestra's residency at the Queen Elisabeth Hall and take on an active role as a cultural partner.

For the eighth consecutive year, the orchestra utilised the Tax Shelter, through which it raised a record amount of €2,245,000 in 2025

Instruments

Thanks to the additional support of the Entrepreneurs' Circle and the Patrons' Guild through donations and long-term loans, further attention was devoted in 2025 to the development of the orchestra organisation and its collection of instruments.