The Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra is the symphony orchestra of the town and state of Salzburg, Austria. It was founded in 1841 and acquired its current name in 1908. It is a major participant at the Salzburg Festival.
The Orchestra is one of Austria's leading symphony orchestras. Since 2004, Ivor Bolton has been principal conductor of the 91 musicians, and distinguished guest conductors have included Marc Minkowski, Mark Elder and Edo de Waart.
The main focus is on the music of the Viennese Classical School, which the Orchestra – as Salzburg's musical ambassador – also performs on international tours, as well as in the Mozart Matinees at the Salzburg Festival and at the annual Salzburg Mozart Festival.
Apart from this core repertoire, the wide stylistic range includes large-scale opera productions at the Salzburg Festival. In 2007, Haydn's Armida was a triumphant success, and 2008 the young Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin is to give his Salzburg début with the orchestra in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette.
In the Orchestra's own subscription concert series, the programme frequently includes new or rarely-performed works. The 2007/08 season offered a series focusing on Richard Strauss and Hector Berlioz, with the motto "Night's magic sphere". In 2008/2009, the concert cycle focuses on Ludwig van Beethoven.
In the programme of the Salzburg Kulturvereinigung, the Orchestra performs works from the great symphonic repertoire, and in the Landestheater productions ranging from grand opera to ballet, operetta, and musical. A further focus is on contemporary works; autumn 2008 brings a performance of the first composition commissioned from Kurt Schwertsik for combined professional and youth orchestra.
Numerous recordings of the orchestra are available on CD, including many works by Mozart and a continuing series of Bruckner symphonies. Recent recordings (OehmsClassics) of Haydn's oratorios The Seasons and The Creation, conducted by Ivor Bolton, brought international acclaim.
The official main sponsor of the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra is Mercedes Benz Austria.