The Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalonia (Catalan; Valencian: Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, OBC; in Catalan; Valencian pronounced as /uɾˈkestɾə siɱˈfɔnikə ðə βəɾsəˈlonəj nəsi.uˈnal də kətəˈluɲə/) is a symphony orchestra based in Barcelona, Spain. Since April 1999, the Orchestra has had its headquarters at L'Auditori. Prior to that, from its foundation to 1998, the orchestra was resident at the Palau de la Música Catalana.
In addition to the Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu, founded in 1847 and devoted to opera and ballet, Barcelona has had several symphonic orchestras since 1888. From 1910 to 1924, a private-based Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona gave its concerts in the Teatre Eldorado, led by Joan Lamote de Grignon. After it, the city's principal orchestra was the Orquestra Pau Casals (1920–1936), conducted by Pau Casals, and linked to the Associació Obrera de Concerts (Workers' Society for Concerts). After the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), both the orchestra and society were banned and Casals went into exile in France.
In 1944, a new Barcelona civic orchestra – the current Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona – was founded with the name of Barcelona Municipal Orchestra, created by the City Council (Ajuntament de Barcelona) and promoted by the Catalan conductor and composer Eduard Toldrà. Toldrà, through his leadership, helped to consolidate the orchestra's presence very early in the cultural life of the city. Barcelona has since had a regular cycle of symphonic concerts with the collaboration of the main national and foreign performers and with the aim to make classical music reach the greater public and especially to spread the work of Catalan composers.
After Toldrà's death in 1962, Rafael Ferrer became the head of the orchestra until 1967, when Antoni Ros-Marbà succeeded him. From this moment, it received the name of Orquestra Ciutat de Barcelona (City of Barcelona Orchestra, or OCB) until the constitution of the Consortium made up of the Government of Catalonia and Barcelona City Hall, in the 1994–95 season, which gave it the current name of Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalonia), known as OBC. In 1994–1995 season a Consortium made up of the Government of Catalonia and Barcelona City Council was constituted.
In September 2015, Kazushi Ōno became principal conductor of the OBC, with an initial contract of three years.[1] Ōno concluded his tenure as OBC principal conductor at the close of the 2021-2022 season. In November 2021, the OBC announced the appointment of Ludovic Morlot as its next principal conductor, effective with the 2022-2023 season, with an initial contract of four seasons.[2]
The OBC has made recordings for such labels as Decca, EMI, Auvidis, Koch, Claves and Naxos Records.
As the city's main orchestra, the OBC has performed many world premières of musical compositions, including the following: