The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra was established in 1987 as Cyprus State Chamber Orchestra by decision of the Council of Ministers. Since 2007 it is under the management of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation.
As the only professional symphony orchestra in Cyprus today, the CySO has evolved rapidly during the new millennium into a modern, dynamic orchestra with a strong presence in the musical life of the island. At the same time, it is a national symbol that represents Cyprus in Europe and beyond.
Constantly striving for artistic excellence and involvement with the community, the CySO puts on innovative artistic programmes, hosts artists of international standing, promotes Cyprus music creation and artists and collaborates with state and private institutions. At the same time, the Orchestra has toured numerous times abroad (Greece, Germany, Denmark, Bulgaria, France, Malta, U.K., Serbia) and further fosters its international profile by organizing international competitions and masterclasses. The Orchestra is in itself a living symbol of multiculturalism, since its 42 members come from 17 different countries.
An orchestra for all Cypriots, the CySO presents around 25-30 different programmes, which amount to around 60 concerts annually, in all cities of Cyprus. Its constantly expanding and loyal audience enjoys a variety of musical genres, comprising classical and contemporary symphonic repertoire, opera, musicals, crossover, popular genres and many more.
The Orchestra has established seven exciting concerts series, each highlighting a different aspect of its artistic mission:
Starlight: the orchestra collaborates with great names of the international scene
Premiere: the orchestra collaborates with acclaimed and rising Cypriot and foreign artists, presenting mainly standard, as well as contemporary and unconventional repertoire
Events: independent co-productions each with its own unique identity that diverge from the symphonic repertoire
Cyprophonia: through this series the orchestra promotes the work of Cypriot creators and the music future of Cyprus
Orchestra 4 All: the Orchestra brings music to the people: to streets, parks, squares, communities and villages
Family Concerts: a wonderful world of imagination for the Orchestra’s little friends and their families Chamber Music: the ensembles of the musicians of the Orchestra present chamber music works, offering a variety of genres and styles to the audience.
Outstanding Cypriot and foreign conductors have collaborated with the CySO such as Lukas Karytinos, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Marios Papadopoulos, Ayis Ioannides, Miltos Logiadis, Esa Heikkila, Wolfram Christ, Carlos Kalmar, Manuel Hernadez Silva, Doron Salomon, Douglas Boyd, as well as soloists including Cyprien Katsaris, Placido Domingo, Dimitra Theodossiou, Kyros Patsalides, Sergei Nakariakov, Pacho Flores, Dimitris Sgouros, Martino Tirimo, Nicolas Costantinou, Manolis Neophytou, Stefan Dohr, Anna Fedorova, Roman Simovic, Camilla Tilling and Viktoria Mullova. amongst others.
The first Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the CySO was Ayis Ioannides, followed by Roland Melia, Maciej Zoltowski, Spiros Pisinos, Peter Kovacs (as General and Artistic Director), Alkis Baltas and Jens Georg Bachmann. During the period 2020–2021, Nicolas Papageorgiou served as the Artistic Director of the Orchestra and from April 2022 to June 2023, the CySO Artistic Director and Conductor was Günter Neuhold. Since January 2026, the Artistic Director of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra is Myron Michailidis.