about us

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is a dynamic ensemble of some of the world?s finest musicians. The fifth oldest symphony orchestra in the United States and the oldest orchestra in Ohio, the CSO has played a leading role in the cultural life of Greater Cincinnati and the Midwest since its founding in 1895.

Over the years, the CSO has built a reputation as one of the world?s foremost orchestras and a champion of the new music of its day. The CSO has been home to the American premieres of works by such composers as Debussy, Ravel and Bartók, and has commissioned works that have since become mainstays of the classical repertoire, including Aaron Copland?s Fanfare for the Common Man. The CSO was the first orchestra to be broadcast to a national radio audience (1921) and the third orchestra to record (1917). Today, the orchestra continues to commission new works and to program an impressive array of music.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is known around the world for its recordings with Telarc, the Cleveland-based Grammy Award-winning label.

The CSO was the first American orchestra to make a world tour sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, and continues to tour domestically and internationally.

The CSO is committed to enhancing and expanding music education for the children of Greater Cincinnati and works to bring music education, in its many different forms, to as broad a public as possible.

The CSO founded the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra in 1977 with Erich Kunzel, Founder and Conductor Emeritus.