Founded in 1905, the Gothenburg Symphony (Göteborgs Symfoniker) currently numbers 109 players. Chief conductor is Santtu-Matias Rouvali who started his tenure in 2017. Rouvali and Gothenburg Symphony has already made an impression on the local audience, as well as Nordic capitals during a recent tour. Already at the orchestra’s very first years, the great Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar was appointed principal conductor, contributing strongly to the Nordic profile of the orchestra by inviting his colleagues Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius to conduct their own works. Subsequent holders of the post include Sergiu Comissiona, Sixten Ehrling and Charles Dutoit. During Neeme Järvi’s tenure (1982–2004), the orchestra became a major international force. Described by The Guardian as ‘one of the world’s most formidable orchestras’, it has toured in the USA, Europe and Asia, and in 1997 was appointed the National Orchestra of Sweden. During his celebrated tenure as music director (2007–12), Gustavo Dudamel took the Orchestra to major music centres and festivals in Europe, making acclaimed appearances at, for example, the BBC Proms and Vienna Musikverein. The list of prominent guest conductors has included Wilhelm Furtwängler, Pierre Monteux, Herbert von Karajan, Myung-Whun Chung, Herbert Blomstedt and Sir Simon Rattle. The orchestra also runs extensive concert projects for children, and digital live concerts are available on www.gsoplay.se. The Gothenburg Symphony is owned by the Region Västra Götaland.