Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest European radio orchestras: it has grown out of the orchestra founded by the then Radio Zagreb in 1929, just six years after the foundation of the first European radio orchestra.
Since 1991 the orchestra has been carrying its current name. Originally the orchestra was linked exclusively to the radio program and even though it begun with public performances in 1942, live broadcasts and recordings remained the integral part of the orchestra’s program and activities. Leading the orchestra as chief conductors were the renowned Pavle Dešpalj, Krešimir Šipuš, Josef Daniel, Oskar Danon, Milan Horvat, Uroš Lajovic, Vladimir Kranjčević, Nikša Bareza and Enrico Dindo. From the beginning of the 2022/23 season, Pascal Rophé has been appointed as the chief conductor. Through its unique program agenda, which focused on the works of Croatian authors including standard and less known repertoire, both in terms of performance and active encouragement of their creation, the Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra has become one of the most renowned ensembles in Croatia.
The orchestra regularly participates in festivals and musical events such as Music Biennale Zagreb, Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Musical Evenings at St Donatus, Zagreb Classic. Concerts with years-long subscription cycles, which hosts leading Croatian and international directors and soloists, are held at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb and broadcast on Croatian Radio’s Third Programme and Croatian Television’s Third Programme.
A large number of audio and video recordings are stored in the Croatian Radiotelevision archives, which are available via the HRTi multimedia platform. At the 75th Dubrovnik Summer Festival in 2024, the Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra was awarded the Grand Prix Orlando as a recognition for its significant contribution to the realization of the entire program. The Croatian Discographic Association awarded it the Nova Ploča Award for its contribution to the development and promotion of the Croatian music industry.