The ensemble was established in 1984 as a result of the enlargement of Jerzy Maksymiuk’s Polish Chamber Orchestra. The initiative was inspired by the then-upcoming Polish concert tour of the legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Their joint concerts quickly won acclaim among audiences both in Poland and abroad, and Menuhin accepted the position of First Guest Conductor.
Soon after Sinfonia Varsovia started its world tour, playing in the world’s most prestigious concert halls. The orchestra’s extensive repertoire, which includes works from such artists as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Krzysztof Penderecki, has resulted in numerous collaborations with soloists and conductors. The orchestra has established artistic relationships with the world’s greatest conductors, including Witold Lutosławski and Lorin Maazel, as well as world-class soloists such as Piotr Anderszewski, Martha Argerich, and Anne-Sophie Mutter.
So far, the orchestra has given over 4,000 concerts on 5 continents and recorded over 300 albums, including for Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos, Sony, and Warner. The recorded repertoire includes works from the 18th century to the present day. A special place in the orchestra’s concert program is occupied by the works of Polish composers, such as Fryderyk Chopin, Krzysztof Penderecki, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Witold Lutosławski, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, and Wojciech Kilar. The orchestra has premiered numerous works, including those by John Adams, Krzesimir Dębski, Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Paweł Mykietyn, Onutė Narbutaitė, Marta Ptaszyńska, Marcin Stańczyk, Paweł Szymański, Lutosławski and Penderecki.
Krzysztof Penderecki accepted the post of music director in 1997, while in 2003–2020, he was the orchestra’s artistic director. From 2008 to 2012, the music director of the orchestra was Marc Minkowski. In 2004, Franciszek Wybrańczyk handed over the duties of director of Sinfonia Varsovia to Janusz Marynowski, a long-standing musician of the ensemble, who has been performing the function to this day.