The history of Latvian symphony orchestra has been rather turbulent. First orchestras were playing already in the late 19th century, but not for very long. Around 1925, the conductor Arvīds Pārups reunited the best musicians into the Radio Symphony Orchestra to perform world-famous classical music. The new orchestra had about twenty members. Over time, it would combine with the Orchestra of the National Opera for the most important concerts, growing to fifty musicians.

In spite of Soviet-imposed restrictions, our musical life has always been very rich. The Radio Symphony Orchestra later became the State Symphony Orchestra, one of the best in the Soviet Union. Professor Leonīds Vīgners, with his high professional standards, has done most for its professional development. Under the conductor Vassily Sinaisky, the orchestra gained international recognition. Since 1990, it has been known as the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra.

The orchestra’s primary focus is on original compositions by Latvian composers:. Jānis Ivanovs who is the author of symphonies, Romualds Kalsons, Juris Karlsons, Pēteris Plakidis, Arturs Maskats. The symphonies of Imants Kalniņš, combining as they do rock elements with the more traditional means of expression, have brought younger listeners to the concerts of classical music. Conductor Mariss Jansons has worked with the world’s most famous orchestras: the Oslo Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker. He is now the chief conductor of Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw and Symphonieorchester des Beyerischen Rundfunks.

The founder and leader and soloist of Kremerata Baltica is the world-famous violinist Gidon Kremer. In 1997, he created this youth chamber orchestra,, providing a unique opportunity for making music together to about thirty exceptionally gifted young musicians from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Kremerata gives concerts all around the world, playing in the most distinguished concert halls. They have received the Grammy Award for their 2002 album After Mozart .