The Cultural Directory

The LSO is proud to be Resident Orchestra at the Barbican Centre, where it performs around 70 concerts a year. The residency has enabled the Orchestra to establish a truly loyal audience and to fulfil many artistic aspirations. Joint projects between the Orchestra and the Barbican place us at the heart of the Centre's programme. The LSO also enjoys successful residencies at the Lincoln Center in New York, at the Philharmonie de Paris, and at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Other regular tour destinations include the Far East, North America and all the major European cities. Touring has been a part of the Orchestra's life since the very beginning. In its early years, the LSO made annual provincial tours, travelling around the country by train for two weeks at a time. The first of these tours in 1905 was conducted by Sir Edward Elgar and featured many of his own compositions. The Orchestra's first tour abroad was to Paris in 1906 when the Orchestra travelled with the 300-strong Leeds Choral Union to give two performances of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Théâtre du Chatelet.