Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (OSI) has made a name for itself as one of the leading European orchestras on the international stage. Since the 1930s, it has played a central role in Canton Ticino’s musical development, taking its present name in 1991. Ansermet, Stravinsky, Stokowski, Celibidache and Scherchen are among the great music personalities who directed it. Over the years, many composers collaborated with OSI: Mascagni, Richard Strauss, Honegger, Milhaud, Martin and Hindemith, and in more recent times Berio, Henze and Penderecki.
OSI is one of fourteen professional orchestras currently active in Switzerland. It consists of forty-one permanent musicians and divides its time among many concerts, such as regional concert seasons (RSI concerts, LuganoMusica, Settimane Musicali di Ascona), local outreach events (concerts for schools, family concerts, summer festivals), joint projects with the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana, as well as other concerts in different parts of Switzerland and abroad (tours and international co-productions). It works with great names of conductors and with internationally acclaimed lead singers, performing in the most important concert venues.