The Barcelona Symphony Orchestra – the National Orchestra of Catalonia (OBC) was founded in 1944 by Eduard Toldrà. Its commitment is to promote classical and contemporary music of all cultures, giving special attention to Catalan composers. Since its foundation more than 70 years ago, the orchestra’s music directors have been Eduard Toldrà, Rafael Ferrer, Antoni Ros Marbà, Salvador Mas, Franz-Paul Decker, García Navarro, Lawrence Foster, Ernest Martínez Izquierdo, Eiji Oue and Pablo González. Kazushi Ono took over as music director in September 2015. The OBC has enjoyed collaboration with renowned conductors and soloists as well as major Spanish institutions and festivals, with regular performances at the Teatro del Liceu, Palau de la Música, Festival Grec, Festes de la Mercè, Sonar, Mercat de les Flors and Festival Castell de Peralada. It has made more than 100 recordings for Decca, EMI, Auvidis, Koch, Claves, Naxos, Telarc, Tritó, Columna Música and BIS, combining Catalan with wider repertoire. The OBC has visited some of the world’s major concert halls, including New York’s Carnegie Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and has taken part in international festivals including the BBC Proms in London at the Royal Albert Hall and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. The OBC belongs to the Consorci de l’Auditori i l’Orquestra, formed by the Catalan Government and the City of Barcelona. Since April 1999, the OBC has performed in its own venue, L’Auditori of Barcelona, designed by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo.