In 2010 Gramophone created a list of the world's greatest orchestras. Like any institution an orchestra has its ups and downs, and a list that is more than a decade old might seem outdated. In any case, Gramophone provided a credible list that remains a good place to start. If you are new to classical music, you won't go wrong listening to recordings from any of the orchestras on Gramophone's list.
- Royal Concertgebouw
- Berlin Philharmonic
- Vienna Philharmonic
- London Symphony Orchestra
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
- Cleveland Orchestra
- Los Angeles Philharmonic
- Budapest Festival Orchestra
- Dresden Staatskapelle
- Boston Symphony Orchestra
- New York Philharmonic
- San Francisco Symphony
- Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra
- Russian National Orchestra
- St. Petersburg Philharmonic
- Leipzig Gewandhaus
- Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
- Saito Kinen Orchestra
- Czech Philharmonic
The Big Five
During the 1950s and 1960s the five orchestras listed below were identified as America’s “Big Five.” Although some think the term has become outdated, many still refer to the following orchestras as America's “Big Five.”
- Boston Symphony Orchestra
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- New York Philharmonic
- Philadelphia Orchestra
- Cleveland Orchestra
Notable American Orchestras (not including the "Big Five")
- Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
- Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
- Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
- Colorado Symphony
- Dallas Symphony Orchestra
- Detroit Symphony Orchestra
- El Paso Symphony Orchestra
- Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
- Houston Symphony
- Los Angeles Philharmonic
- Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
- Milwaukee Symphony
- Minnesota Orchestra
- Nashville Symphony
- National Symphony Orchestra
- Oregon Symphony
- Phoenix Symphony
- Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
- San Antonio Symphony
- San Diego Symphony
- San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
- Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra
- Seattle Symphony
- St. Louis Symphony
- Utah Symphony