The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra has a longstanding and admirable tradition. Stemming from the respectful music institutions such as Academia Philharmonicorum (1701), the Philharmonic Society (1794) and the first Slovenian Philharmonic (1908), it is one of the world’s oldest orchestras, whose honorable members included Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van
Beethoven, Niccolo Paganini, Johannes Brahms and Carlos Kleiber. The orchestra was re-established in 1947.  
The present conductor of the Slovenian Philcharmonic Orchestra George Pehllivanian became in 1991 the first American winner at the international Besançon Conducting Competition and after that launched an intensive conducting career. He held Principal Guest Conductor positions with the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague, with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra guest performances include those in major European countries, the USA and Japan, as well as those at the most renowned music festivals (in Vienna, Florence, Prague, Warsaw, Dubrovnik, Ravenna, etc.). The Orchestra’s prestigious guest performers include conductors Carlos Kleiber, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Kurt Sanderling, Dezső Ránki, Alexander Toradze, Boris Berezovski, Håkan Hardenberger, Stephen Kovacevich, Grigorij Sokolov
Following a large number of acclaimed international appearances, in 2006 the Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra led by George Pehlivanian toured Switzerland and Japan with outstanding success. For many seasons the Orchestra has been giving subscription The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra has concerts in Ljubljana, as well as concerts on special occasions and for young listeners. In addition to numerable radio and TV recordings, the Slovene Philharmonic has released more than 40 compact discs.