St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra

The St. Petersburg Symphony was the first international orchestra to perform at Soka Performing Arts Center in the fall of 2011. We are pleased to welcome them back for their 2015 US tour. 

The orchestra was established in 1967 by Leningrad's outstanding conductors Nikolai Rabinovich, Karl Eliasberg, and Edward Grikurov. The well-considered repertoire policy of performing seldom-played opuses of different musical styles and periods, and eager attention to music of living composers also defined the orchestra's name: from the day of its origination and until 1985 it was called "Orchestra of Ancient and Modern Music."

The brightest moments for the ensemble of that period are related to the name of excellent Russian conductor Edward Serov who headed the orchestra for over 10 years. It was under his baton that the "Orchestra of Ancient and Modern Music" traveled to hundreds of cities of the Soviet Union and many countries of the world with its concerts, recorded dozens of LPs for the Soviet Melodia label, participated in the most prestigious festivals, and firmly ranked as Leningrad's third after the two famous philharmonic orchestras. Renowned soloists and conductors such as Yuri Temirkanov, Maris Jansons, Svyatoslav Richter, Natalia Gutman, Elena Obraztsova, Grigory Sokolov, and many others performed with the orchestra in those days. In 1985, the minor symphony status of the orchestra grew to a full symphony scale. Considering the important role played by the ensemble in Leningrad's artistic life, it was given the rank of Leningrad State Orchestra.