About us
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Gustavo Gimeno Music Director
Since its foundation in 1933 as part of the broadcasting activities of Radio Luxembourg (RTL), the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg (OPL) has embodied the cultural vitality of the country at the heart of Europe. From 1996, the OPL has been publicly administered, and in 2005 it took up residence at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, which is praised for its outstanding acoustics.
Uniting 98 musicians from 20 nations, the OPL is renowned for the elegance of its sound, which was developed by the successive chief conductors Henri Pensis, Carl Melles, Louis de Froment, Leopold Hager, David Shallon, Bramwell Tovey and Emmanuel Krivine, and is currently shaped by Gustavo Gimeno, now in his sixth year at the helm of the orchestra. For five seasons, the OPL has been collaborating with the record label Pentatone; so far, this partnership has yielded eight albums dedicated to works by Anton Bruckner, Claude Debussy, César Franck, Gustav Mahler, Maurice Ravel, Gioacchino Rossini, Dmitri Shostakovich and Igor Stravinsky.
The orchestra’s musical partners during the 2020/21 season include Artists in residence Leonidas Kavakos and Vincent Peirani as well as Anja Harteros, Patricia Petibon, Gautier and Renaud Capuçon. Since 2003, the orchestra has been highly active in offering concerts and workshops for students, children and families. It also enjoys close working relationships with the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, the Cinémathèque de la Ville de Luxembourg, CAPE in Ettelbruck and Radio 100,7. After invitations to tour numerous countries, the orchestra will perform in 2020/21 at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wiener Konzerthaus, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Grand Théâtre de Provence, Opéra de Dijon, Müpa Budapest, Philharmonie Essen, as well as at the Konzerthaus
Dortmund, where the OPL will interpret Beethoven’s complete Piano Concertos with Krystian Zimerman.
The OPL is subsidized by the Grand Duchy’s Ministry of Culture and supported financially by the City of Luxembourg. The orchestra receives sponsorship from the Banque de Luxembourg, BGL BNP Paribas, Caceis, Mercedes-Benz and The Leir Foundation. Since 2010, the cello «Le Luxembourgeois», made by Matteo Goffriller (1659–1742), has been placed at the orchestra’s disposal, thanks to generous support from BGL BNP Paribas.