The Vienna Philharmonic (Wiener Philharmoniker) was founded in 1842 by Otto Nicolai and has since grown into one of the world's most celebrated orchestras. Its home is the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, renowned for its exceptional acoustics. The orchestra has no permanent chief conductor - it operates as a democratic self-governing body and invites guest conductors each season. Its annual New Year's Concert, broadcast to over 90 countries, is among the most-watched classical music events on the planet.
At the Salzburg Festival 2026, the orchestra performed under the baton of Riccardo Muti with Verdi's Requiem and other programs, together with Andris Nelsons and Christian Thielemann.
The orchestra undertakes a Japanese tour (Wiener Philharmoniker Woche in Japan 2026) under the direction of Riccardo Muti - concerts in Tokyo and Osaka.
The New Year's concert 2026 was conducted for the first time by Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin; the program included six works performed on New Year's for the first time in the orchestra's history, including two compositions by women.
The New Year's concert 2025 was conducted by Riccardo Muti for the seventh time; for the first time in the history of the New Year's concert, a composition by a woman was performed - Ferdinandus-Walzer by Constanze Geiger from 1848.
The Summer Night Concert 2025 took place on June 13 in the park of Schönbrunn Palace; ORF broadcast it live, the 3sat station the next day.
