Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO), based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, is the resident orchestra at the renowned Christchurch Town Hall, and a leading performing arts organisation of Te Wai Pounamu South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand. We believe in the power of live music, and we are passionate about community. Puoro mā te katoa – music is for everyone.
Established in 1958, we present over 40 performances a year with more than 30% of our output being Aotearoa talent. In addition to CSO-produced events, we proudly partner with New Zealand Opera, The Royal New Zealand Ballet, the National Concerto Competition and other prominent performance partners.
CSO is known both nationally and internationally for its community engagement activity, with our employee musicians providing participatory music experiences across 30+ Ki te Hapori In the Community programmes annually; bringing the power of live music to prisons, schools, health facilities, seniors' centres, libraries, resettled migrant communities and beyond.
A registered charitable trust, CSO is a proud recipient of ongoing funding through our core funders - Creative New Zealand, CSO Foundation Trust, Christchurch City Council and Rātā Foundation; and multiple corporate and individual partners.
