Founded in 2008 by the professors of the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the Filarmonica was born from the Orchestra del Teatro itself. It became permanent in 1956, but it had been active since the 1890s. The Orchestra grew thanks to the technical-interpretative direction of such Musical Directors and musicians as Sergiu Celibidache, Vladimir Delmann, Riccardo Chailly, Christian Thielemann and Daniele Gatti. Among the visiting Directors were: Igor Stravinsky, Claudio Abbado, Sir George Solti, Riccardo Muti, Georges Prêtre. In November 2008, Alberto Veronesi was named Artistic Director of the Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna. He undertook to transform it into the calling card for the cultural-economic Bolognese community. The debut took place in December 2008, with the execution and recording of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, together with the renowned Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopern Choir. After a series of acclaimed concerts in 2009, including one at the MITO Festival in Milan, on October 4th he opened the Season of the Filarmonica. The sold-out concerts featured musicians like Ivo Pogorelich and Philippe Entremont and Directors like Gerd Albrecht, Sir Neville Marriner. A second series of concerts will begin in January 2011 featuring the integral piano concertos by Sergej Vasil’evic Rachmaninov and Romantic symphonies.