State Philharmonic Košice, Concert hall in District of Košice I, Slovakia.

The State Philharmonic Košice is a professional symphony orchestra based in the House of Art on Moyzesova Street in the Old Town of Košice. It has almost 90 members and performs a repertoire from the Baroque to the 20th century. The orchestra has released over 160 CDs, including first recordings of works by Spohr, Raff, and Furtwängler.

Founded in 1968, the orchestra gave its first concert in April 1969 under chief conductor Bystrík Režucha. In 1994 it became the first Slovak symphony orchestra to tour the United States, with a nearly month-long visit. Since 1991 it has organised the Košice Music Spring and the International Organ Festival of Ivan Sokol, joined in 2003 by the ARS NOVA contemporary art festival.

Since 1991 the orchestra has been the sole Slovak ensemble running the Košická hudobná jar music spring and the International Organ Festival of Ivan Sokol, joined in 2003 by ARS NOVA, a festival of contemporary art. Its recordings for Naxos and Marco Polo include first recordings of works by Spohr, Raff, Rubinstein and Furtwängler.

Check the website sfk.sk before your visit to learn about current programs and what to expect. For questions about performances or access, you can reach out via sfk@sfk.sk or the listed phone number.

In 1994 the orchestra toured the United States for nearly a month, becoming the first Slovak symphony orchestra to perform on the American continent. Its discography of more than 160 CDs includes first recordings of works by Louis Spohr, Joseph Joachim Raff, Anton Rubinstein and Wilhelm Furtwängler, made for the Naxos and Marco Polo labels.