Brussels Philharmonic


The Brussels Philharmonic is a Belgian radio orchestra located in Brussels. Formerly known as the BRT Philharmonic Orchestra, and later as the Flemish Radio Orchestra, the orchestra has been linked to the Flemish public broadcaster NIR/INR.
The orchestra was founded in 1935 as a studio ensemble of public broadcasting with the name of Groot Symfonie-Orkest. In 1998, it began its independent existence as the VRT Radio Orkest. From 2008, the orchestra took the new name of the Brussels Philharmonic. Since 2005, the residence of the orchestra is Studio 4 of the renovated Place Flagey in Brussels. The orchestra also gives concerts in the BOZAR, Centre for Fine Arts. The orchestra also plays elsewhere in Flanders, as well as abroad in London, Vienna and Tokyo. The orchestra also performs as accompanying ensemble with the Royal Ballet of Flanders.
The orchestra's current Music Director is Stéphane Denève, as of the 2015-2016 season. One new initiative scheduled for Denève's tenure is the establishment of CffOR, for commissioning new compositions. With the orchestra, Denève has commercially recorded music of Guillaume Connesson, and Sergei Prokofiev.
In 2017, Brussels Philharmonic and Stéphane Denève accompanied the finale of the Queen Elisabeth Competition for cello. In March 2019, Brussels Philharmonic made its debut at Carnegie Hall in New York under the baton of Stéphane Denève.

Chief conductors

CD series include CDs for Warner Classics and recordings for the French center of Romantic music, Palazzetto Bru Zane. The orchestra has notably recorded the scores for The Aviator, composed by Howard Shore, and The Artist, composed by Ludovic Bource. The orchestra received the Choc de Classica and the Diapason d'or of the year in 2016 for their Deutsche Grammophon recording of music of Guillaume Connesson, 'Pour sortir au jour'.
Since 2015, the Brussels Philharmonic is recording for Deutsche Grammophon.
Since 2011, the Brussels Philharmonic has been producing recordings through its own label, Brussels Philharmonic Recordings.