The Radio Television of Serbia Symphony Orchestra is one of the most prominent orchestral ensembles of Serbia. Founded in 1937 as a part of “Radio Belgrade”, the Symphony Orchestra has always had profiled artistic directions, oriented towards the affirmation and preservation of national music heritage, as well as capital works of world literature.

This programme policy, established by the first conductor, Mihailo Vukdragović, has been retained for more than 8 decades that have been marked by the work of chief conductors: Mladen Jagušt, Vančo Čavdarski, and Bojan Suđić.

Throughout history, the most renowned domestic and foreign artists, solo artists and conductors have collaborated with the orchestra, which has performed at all major festivals in Yugoslavia and Serbia, and has also toured successfully across Europe, Africa and Asia. In the “Radio Belgrade Sound Archive”, hundreds of recordings have been permanently archived, many of them published on several sound carriers.

The Symphony Orchestra has won numerous relevant awards and recognitions, including the award of the “Association of Opera and Symphony Musicians of Serbia” for high quality music and as the most promising orchestra (1971), “Siringa” (1982), the award at the “Festival of World Symphony Orchestras” in Paris (1986), and the “Special Golden Ring award” (1987) (“Specijalni zlatni beočug”), on the occasion of the orchestra’s 50th anniversary.

In 2008, marking the 70th anniversary, the RTS Symphony Orchestra, received the “Golden Ring of Excellence” award, for great achievements in the cultural and artistic mission. The orchestra has also won the annual award of the radio programme “Classical Music” (“Muzika klasika”), for the best orchestral ensemble in 2013. In 2019, it was awarded the “Sretenje Order of the Third Degree”, for its lasting contribution to the culture.

Today, the RTS Symphony Orchestra operates within the RTS Music Production as a modern ensemble, keeping pace with global tendencies in the interpretation of music. Its repertoire includes significant symphonic, concert and vocal-instrumental pieces of domestic and foreign literature. In its history, the Symphony Orchestra has premiered many works of distinguished Serbian contemporary artists of various generations, and some of these works are dedicated to the orchestra. Its repertoire also includes opera and operetta literature, as well as the music of popular genres. It is actively present in concert halls, in the media and at important social events, positioning itself as a prestigious performer, always striving towards the highest artistic achievements.