is one of the most important Polish symphony orchestras. It made its debut on 2 March 1935 on Polish Radio and has been continuously present on its broadcasts ever since. In subsequent decades, it successively reinforced its international reputation, performing in the world’s leading concert halls and cooperating with the greatest artists of our time, including Leonard Bernstein, Artur Rubinstein, Martha Argerich, and Krystian Zimerman. Witold Lutosławski, Wojciech Kilar, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki and Krzysztof Penderecki entrusted premieres of their works to the NOSPR. Over the years, the orchestra has been directed by eminent conductors such as Jan Krenz, Kazimierz Kord, Tadeusz Strugała, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Antoni Wit, Gabriel Chmura, Jacek Kaspszyk, Alexander Liebreich, and Lawrence Foster. The NOSPR is the organiser of the Festival of First Performances, the Katowice Culture Nature Festival, and the Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition. Since the 2023/24 season, the new artistic director and first conductor of the NOSPR is Marin Alsop.