Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the most renowned and esteemed symphony orchestras in Poland. It performs in the most important music centres at home and abroad, and has given concerts in almost all European countries. The orchestra has been invited to a number of important international music festivals, including the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, Wratislavia Cantans, and the Bergen Festival. Since 1952 it has accompanied the finalists of the International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competitions in Poznań, It is also the principal symphony ensemble of the Poznań Spring Festival, and often premieres works by contemporary Polish and international composers.
The orchestra has performed with world-renowned conductors including Christopher Hogwood, Andrzej Borejko, Reinhard Goebel, Zdeněk Mácal, Sir Neville Marriner, Paul McCreesh, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, and Carlo Zecchi, as well as soloists: Martha Argerich, Piotr Beczała, Rafał Blechacz, Helen Donath, Jean Fournier, Ida Haendel, Philippe Jaroussky, Sumi Jo, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Aleksandra Kurzak, Witold Małcużyński, Garrick Ohlsson, David and Igor Oistrakh, Gerhrad Oppitz, Ewa Podleś, Maurizio Pollini, Samuel Ramey, Vadim Repin, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Arthur Rubinstein, Maxim Vengerov, Wanda Wiłkomirska, Krystian Zimerman, Nikolaj Znaider, and others.
The Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra has made recordings for radio and television, as well as on such labels as Sony Classical, Polmusic, Wichtel Records, Polskie Nagrania, Muza, Largo Records, Dux, CD Accord, and Naxos.
Since the 2007/2008 artistic season, the director and conductor of the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra (established in 1974) has been Marek Pijarowski, and its principal guest conductor Łukasz Borowicz.
