Bern Symphony Orchestra

The Bern Symphony Orchestra (Berner Symphonie-Orchester) is a Swiss orchestra based in Bern. The orchestra primarily gives concerts at the Kursaal in Bern, and also acts as the orchestra of the Bern Theatre, for opera and dance performances. The orchestra is under the auspices of the Stiftung Berner Symphonieorchester, and receives government funding from the federal government of Switzerland and the canton and city of Bern.

History
The orchestra was founded in 1877. The orchestra's most recent chief conductor was Mario Venzago, from 2010 to 2021. In September 2023, the orchestra announced the appointment of Krzysztof Urbański as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2024–2025 season, with an initial contract of three seasons.

Chief conductors

 * Karl Munzinger (1896–1909)
 * Fritz Brun (1909–1941)
 * Luc Balmer (1941–1964)
 * Paul Kletzki (1964–1968)
 * Charles Dutoit (1968–1978)
 * Gustav Kuhn (1979–1983)
 * Peter Maag (1984–1991)
 * Dmitri Kitajenko (1991–2004)
 * Andrey Boreyko (2004–2010)
 * Mario Venzago (2010–2021)
 * Krzysztof Urbański (designate, effective autumn 2024)