15th of November 1946 RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester founded, financed by the USA and integrated into their Berlin network.

1948-1954 | 1959-1963 Ferenc Fricsay is the orchestra’s first Chief Conductor. Contemporary works including a great deal of world premieres are a regular component of his programmes. Owing to its unique tradition, the orchestra establishes itself as one of the world’s leading first class orchestras in the field of modern music.

1956 New name: Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. The RSO GmbH is founded.

1964-1975 Lorin Maazel is Chief Conductor. He places special emphasis on the romantic works of Berlioz, Bruckner and Liszt. Maazel is also a driving force behind the Mahler renaissance.

1971 RSO receives the Music Critics’ Prize for its distinguished commitment to the contemporary music field.

January 1973 Extended tour of Asia with Lorin Maazel.

1976-1982 During these years without a chief conductor RSO works together closely with the conductors Erich Leinsdorf, Eugen Jochum, Gerd Albrecht, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Neville Marriner. Owing to the deep unity and commitment of the members of the orchestra, the level of musical excellence is preserved during this period.

1977 The City of Berlin, Sender Freies Berlin and RIAS Berlin become joint owners of the RSO GmbH, an important step in securing the orchestra’s existence.

1982-1989 Riccardo Chailly is Chief Conductor of the RSO – a master of design of the grandiose, in particular as seen in his interpretations of Mahler and Bruckner. Here the time-honoured forte of the orchestra can be recognised, as it makes convincing and exemplary presentations of works requiring an above-average input of commitment.

1989-1999 Vladimir Ashkenazy is Chief Conductor. He introduces new characteristics into the programmes through his interpretations of Shostakovitch, Stravinsky, Scriabin, Strauss, Mahler and Mendelssohn and through the juxtaposition of the 20th Century and classical music.

1993 To avoid misunderstanding in the expanding cultural scene in Berlin (partially owing to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989), the orchestra changes its name to Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.

1994 The RSO GmbH is extended to the Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre GmbH (ROC).

May | June 1996 Tour to Russia, Korea and Japan with Vladimir Ashkenazy.

1996 Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin celebrates its 50th anniversary.

1996 | 1997 First tour to South America with Marek Janowski; extended tour to the USA with Vladimir Ashkenazy.

1999 Tour to Japan with Kent Nagano, voted by the Japanese music critics as best concert-on-tour in Japan in 1999.

September 2000 Kent Nagano becomes Chief Conductor and Artistic Director. His programmes and interpretations link up with and continue to develop the traditions of the orchestra. First joint CD is produced, Mahler’s 3rd symphony, and is awarded an international record prize.

December 2000 World premiere of John Adams’ ›El Niño‹ as resident orchestra under the directorship of Kent Nagano at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Published as a CD and as a DVD and receives a ›Diapason d'Or‹ award.

December 2001 Concert-on-tour in Los Angeles with Kent Nagano

July 2002 Guest appearance for several weeks within the Salzburger Festspiele.

Autumn 2003 Concert tours to Austria, Switzerland and Japan with Kent Nagano. He will work in close association together with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin beyond 2006 and will continue until 2008 to shape the artistic development and international renown of the orchestra.

2004 Guest appearances in Baden-Baden and Italy.

2005 Concert tour to France and Japan with Kent Nagano. Guest appearances at the Wiener Festwochen (Vienna Festival) and the Salzburg Festival. Kent Nagano will still maintain close links with the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester after 2006 and continue to shape its artistic development.

2006 Ingo Metzmacher signs his contract as Principal Conductor and Artistic Director, starting in August 2007. During the Football-World-Championship he conducts an open-air-concert with 20th century music in front of 10.000 people at the Brandenburg Gate.

2007 In a concert to mark the 60th anniversary of the orchestra’s first public performance, Maestro Metzmacher takes the podium for the first time in his new role. In his first season as Music Director of the DSO, Ingo Metzmacher explores the specific relation between the German mind and music in the chosen theme ›On the German Soul‹.

The 2008|2009 season Ingo Metzmacher will take the DSO and its audience on another thematic journey. With the new season’s main focal point, ›Breakthrough 1909‹, he will be investigating the musical revolutionary impulses and changes during the period between 1900 and World War I.