Bratislava Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1929 as Slovakia's first professional symphonic ensemble. The orchestra's first music director was Oskar Nedbal, who died one year after accepting the post. He was succeeded by Frantisek Dyk, who developed the orchestra's reputation through work in symphonic and operetta repertoire. The orchestra has made numerous recordings of nineteenth and twentieth century music, including many compositions by Slovak composers. The group regularly performs in major Eastern European music festivals and has toured Europe and the Far East. Between 1977 and 1990, Ondrej Lenárd led the orchestra and helped establish its worldwide reputation through concerts and recordings. In 2001, Charles Olivieri-Munroe became music director. The SRSO's concerts are still broadcast regularly, and its recordings are found primarily on the Opus, Supraphon, Naxos, Marco Polo, and Arte Nova labels.