Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana
Founded in 1935 in Lugano, the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana has been led by many conductors of note including Ansermet, Stravinskij, Stokowski, Celibidache and Scherchen and had collaborated with numerous composers including Mascagni, R. Strauss, Honegger, Milhaud, Martin, Hindemith, and more recently Berio, Henze and Penderecki. The OSI is one of 13 professional orchestras in Switzerland. The orchestra’s formation includes 41 resident artists and receives funding mainly from the Canton of Ticino and the Swiss Italian Radio. OSI brings to life two musical seasons of RSI Rete Due and regularly participates in the Lugano Festival, Settimane Musicali di Ascona, and the Martha Argerich Project. It has performed in the main Swiss and international centres as well as on numerous studio recordings for radio broadcast and commercial release. The orchestra also offers a wide range of concerts throughout the region, including family concerts, school concerts and various projects with the Italian Swiss Conservatory. From 2010 OSI appeared at the Parco della Musica in Rome with Lorin Maazel, at the Theatre Scala in Milan with the Italian violinist Salvatore Accardo, went on tour throughout Switzerland with Vadim Repin and to Brazil’s major theatres with John Neschling. Honorary conductor is Alain Lombard.