The Limburg Symphony Orchestra (Dutch: Limburgs Symfonie Orkest) is a Dutch orchestra based in Maastricht in the province of Limburg, The Netherlands. It is one of the Netherlands’ oldest professional symphony orchestras. The Limburg Symphony Orchestra gives more than one hundred performances a season and occupies a significant place within Limburg’s cultural life. In addition to its symphonic offerings, the orchestra provides Opera Zuid with accompaniment, works with various choirs and runs an extensive education programme.
Ed Spanjaard has been the orchestra’s principal conductor since August 2001. Ed Spanjaard and the orchestra have created a name for themselves with their broad repertoire in which both famous and lesser-known works and contemporary music are given a place to shine.
The orchestra not only plays in the province of Limburg’s larger cities, it also plays the Netherlands’ and Euregion’s larger stages on a regular basis. In 2008 more than 93,000 visitors came to see the orchestra perform.
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The ensemble gave its first concert on 2 September 1883 as the Maastrichts Stedelijk Orkest ("Maastricht City Orchestra"), with Otto Wolf as its first conductor. The orchestra also gave concerts in the Brabant region. In 1955 the orchestra acquired its current name of the Limburg Symphony Orchestra.
Since 2001, the current principal conductor of the orchestra is Ed Spanjaard, who had prior served as principal conductor from 1982 to 1988.
After the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Limburg Symphony Orchestra has one of the largest Friends associations in the Netherlands, with more than 3,000 members. The orchestra hopes to grow this circle of friends to 4,000 members. The orchestra’s sponsors are also generous in their support.
During the 2007-2008 season, the Limburg Symphony Orchestra celebrated nothing less than its 125th birthday. The orchestra opened its 125th season with a programme of Tchaikovsky’s music in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and finished the season with an incredible jubilee concert on 2 September 2008 with Queen Beatrix in attendance.