A radio orchestra (or broadcast orchestra ) is an orchestra employed by a radio network (and sometimes television networks ) in order to provide programming as well as sometimes perform incidental or theme music for various shows on the network. In the heyday of radio such orchestras were numerous, performing classical, popular, light music and jazz. However, in recent decades, broadcast orchestras have become increasingly rare. Those that still exist perform mainly classical and contemporary orchestral music, though broadcast light music orchestras, jazz orchestras and big bands are still employed by some radio stations in Europe.
21-526: The SWR Symphonieorchester (Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra) is a radio orchestra affiliated with the Südwestrundfunk (Southwest German Radio) public broadcasting network. Formed in 2016, the orchestra is administratively based in Stuttgart . The artistic director of the orchestra is Johannes Bultmann, and the current managing director is Felix Fischer. The orchestra's chief conductor
42-465: A joint agency of ARD (and its member institutions), ZDF , and Deutschlandradio . WDR began its regional television service, Westdeutsches Fernsehen (WDF), on 17 December 1965. On 27 August 1967, when West Germany broadcast its first color TV program, WDF used a live broadcast originating from a Bosch outside broadcast van to start broadcasting in color. In 1988, the channel was renamed West 3; since 1994, it has been known as WDR Fernsehen . While
63-845: A Big Band in Frankfurt and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Berlin. The British Broadcasting Corporation operates five full-time permanent orchestras, as well as a full-time chamber choir, the BBC Singers and the BBC Big Band . Denmark also maintains orchestra in the form of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra , the Danish Radio Big Band , Chamber Orchestra and Radio Choir. In Norway NRK runs
84-719: A Big Band, Southwest German Broadcasting ( SWR ) with one orchestra (2016 merged) and the SWR Big Band in Stuttgart and Baden-Baden/Freiburg, Bavarian Broadcasting ( BR ) with two orchestras in Munich, Central German Broadcasting ( MDR ) with one orchestra in Leipzig, Saarland Broadcasting ( SR ) with one orchestra (2006 merged) in Saarbrücken/Kaiserslautern, Hessian Broadcasting ( HR ) with one orchestra and
105-1000: A year. In the Netherlands, the Muziekcentrum van de Omroep ( Broadcasting Music Centre ), an umbrella organization of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting associations, supports the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest , the Radio Kamer Filharmonie , the Groot Omroepkoor ( Netherlands Radio Choir ), and the Metropole Orkest , the world's largest professional pop and jazz orchestra. The last surviving broadcast orchestra in North America
126-611: Is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne . WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD . As well as contributing to the output of the national television channel Das Erste , WDR produces the regional television service WDR Fernsehen (formerly known as WDF and West3) and six regional radio networks. The Westdeutsche Funkstunde AG (WEFAG)
147-871: The Late Show with David Letterman whimsically called itself the CBS Orchestra though it was not a classical musical orchestra and did not perform on CBS outside of the Late Show . The last permanent studio orchestra in America was The Tonight Show Band , also known as the NBC Orchestra, a big band led by trumpeter Doc Severinsen . Westdeutscher Rundfunk Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln ( pronounced [ˈvɛstˌdɔʏtʃɐ ˈʁʊntfʊŋk ˈkœln] ; "West German Broadcasting Cologne"), shortened to WDR ( pronounced [ˌveːdeːˈʔɛʁ] ),
168-498: The Norwegian Radio Orchestra (Norwegian, Kringkastingsorkestret, abbreviated as KORK). The orchestra specializes in classical music as well as popular music. This makes it quite unique in that the musicians are trained both classically and rhythmically to a high degree. The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Stavanger Symphony Orchestra also have agreements with NRK too make a number of broadcast recordings
189-504: The 2025–2026 season, with an initial contract of 5 years. The SWR Symphonieorchester gives concerts in several German cities and concert halls. Its principal cities and concert venues are as follows: The orchestra also performs in other German cities and venues, including the following: Radio orchestra Famous broadcast orchestras include the NBC Symphony Orchestra (1937–1954) conducted by Arturo Toscanini ,
210-590: The SWR Broadcasting Council voted to approve a measure proposed by SWR Intendant Peter Boudgoust to merge the two orchestras, for ostensible reasons of budgetary limitations for two separate orchestras affiliated with the SWR. The SWR Broadcasting Council formally passed the measure in September 2012, with the merger of the two orchestras scheduled for 2016. The formation of the new orchestra, under
231-744: The USSR State Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra among other names) founded in 1930. Germany has an especially large number of radio orchestras. Eleven radio orchestras perform and produce classical as well as contemporary music and jazz for the North German Broadcasting ( NDR ) with two orchestras in Hamburg and Hanover as well as the NDR Big Band. West German Broadcasting ( WDR ) has two orchestras in Cologne and
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#1732793411454252-972: The five orchestras maintained by the BBC , particularly the BBC Symphony Orchestra founded in 1930, the MDR Symphony Orchestra founded in 1923, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra founded in 1949, the Tokyo-based NHK Symphony Orchestra , the Danish National Symphony Orchestra founded in 1925, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra founded in 1969 and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio (formerly
273-457: The most prominent example of regional broadcasting in Germany. WDR is in part funded by the limited sale of on-air commercial advertising time; however, its principal source of income is the revenue derived from viewer and listener licence fees . As of 2023 the monthly fee due from each household for radio and television reception was €18.36. These fees are collected not directly by WDR but by
294-648: The new name of the SWR Symphonieorchester , produced an ensemble in 2016 with a complement of 175 musicians drawn from the two previous orchestras. The eventual goal is to attain a roster of 119 musicians. The new orchestra gave its first concert on 22 September 2016 in Stuttgart at the Liederhalle, under the direction of Péter Eötvös . The orchestra did not have a chief conductor at the time of its founding. Sylvain Cambreling had been offered
315-496: The orchestra until 2025. Currentzis, who was scheduled to stand down as the orchestra's chief conductor at the close of the 2024–2025 season, left in June 2024. In July 2020, François-Xavier Roth first guest-conducted the orchestra. He returned to the orchestra for a subsequent guest-conducting engagement in June 2021. In September 2022, the SWR announced the appointment of Roth as the orchestra's next chief conductor, effective with
336-414: The post of chief conductor of the new orchestra, but declined on principle, in protest at the merger of the two precursor orchestras into the new ensemble. In April 2017, the SWR announced the appointment of Teodor Currentzis as the first chief conductor of the orchestra, effective with the 2018–2019 season. In September 2021, the SWR announced a 3-year extension to Currentzis' contract as chief conductor of
357-536: The production entity for shows on Das Erste, such as Verbotene Liebe ('Forbidden Love'), which, over the years, has introduced many young actors to the German audience, such as Andreas Stenschke , Jo Weil , Luca Zamperoni and Kay Böger. The Sportschau is produced for ARD in Cologne, and WDR contributes to ARD Digital , 3sat and arte . A long-running talk show on wheels was Hallo Ü-Wagen ("Hello Radio Van"), which ran from 1974 to 2010 with Carmen Thomas as
378-664: The programmes are mainly run from their Cologne headquarters, they also have a number of sub-regional studios contributing to a regular broadcast called Lokalzeit with the opt-outs "aus Aachen" ( Aachen ), "OWL" ( Bielefeld ), "aus Bonn" ( Bonn ), "aus Dortmund" ( Dortmund ), "aus Düsseldorf" ( Düsseldorf ), "aus Duisburg" ( Duisburg ), "Ruhr" ( Essen ), "aus Köln" ( Cologne and Bonn ), "Münsterland" ( Münster ), "Südwestfalen" ( Siegen ) and "Bergisches Land" ( Wuppertal ) for each respective region. WDR has its current affairs and regional politics studios in Düsseldorf. It has served as
399-769: Was Teodor Currentzis ; François-Xavier Roth is the orchestra's designated chief conductor. The two precursor ensembles to the SWR Symphonieorchester were the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra , the latter based in Baden-Baden and Freiburg. The Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, in particular, had a specific reputation for its performances of contemporary music. In June 2012,
420-614: Was established on 15 September 1924. There was a substantial purge of left wing staff following the Nazi seizure of power in 1933. This included Ernst Hardt , Hans Stein and Walter Stern . WDR was created in 1955, when Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR) was split into Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) – covering Lower Saxony , Schleswig-Holstein, and Hamburg – and Westdeutscher Rundfunk, responsible for North Rhine-Westphalia. WDR began broadcasting on two radio networks (one produced jointly with NDR) on 1 January 1956. WDR constitutes
441-828: Was the CBC Radio Orchestra founded in 1938. On March 28, 2008 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announced that the orchestra would be dissolved at the end of November. The ensemble has continued independent of network affiliation as the National Broadcast Orchestra based in Vancouver. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in Australia operates six state radio symphony orchestras through its subdivision Symphony Australia . The house band for
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