Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra（HSO）is a professional orchestra based in HIROSHIMA, International City of Peace and Culture.
In April 2024, Christian ARMING was appointed Music Director and SHIMONO Tatsuya was appointed the Conductor Laureate, and TOKUNAGA Tsugio was appointed the Music Adviser. Volkhard STEUDE, the Concertmaster of Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, as Music Partner and HOSOKAWA Toshio as Composer in Residence. In 2015, HSO invited pianist Martha ARGERICH to perform in the annual concert held on 5 August, the day before the memorial of the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. The orchestra continues to work in unison with her for world peace and has awarded her the title HSO Peace and Music Ambassador.
Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1963 as Hiroshima C ivic Symphony Orchestra and acquired its present name in 1970. The orchestra is affectionately known as “Hirokyo” and has been enth usiastic in providing School concerts and social contributions to the local community. After its first overseas performance at the United Nations Vienna Office in 1991, HSO has performed in the Czech Republic, France, Russia and South Korea. In August 2019, with the invitation of the Chopin and His Europe Festival, the orchestra performed in Poland and their performance with a message of “Music for Peace” was highly acclaimed. HSO has received several awards such as the 33rd ENEOS Music Award Western Classical Music Promotion Division in 2021, the “dialogue among cultures” medal（UNESCO）in 2003 and the Hiroshima Citizenʼs Award in 2014.
HSO has performed with Martha Argerich, Igor Oistrakh, Zdeněk Košler, Bruno-Leonardo Gelber, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Emanuel Ax, Jörg Dames, Yoel Levi, Peter Serkin, Nelson Freire, Gidon Kremer, Mihoko Fujimura, Midori Goto, and many other world-class artists.
