MSO Classics Brand Page

About the MSO Classics

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Ken-David Masur, is among the finest orchestras in the nation and the largest cultural institution in Wisconsin. Since its inception in 1959, the MSO has found innovative ways to give music a home in the region, develop music appreciation and talent among area youth, and raise the national reputation of Milwaukee.

The MSO’s full-time professional musicians perform over 135 classics, pops, family, education, and community concerts each season in venues throughout the state. A pioneer among American orchestras, the MSO has performed world and American premieres of works by John Adams, Roberto Sierra, Philip Glass, Geoffrey Gordon, Marc Neikrug, Matthias Pintscher, and Dobrinka Tabakova.

The MSO has an over 50-year history of commercial recording under labels including Telarc, Koss Classics, Pro Arte, AVIE, and Vox/Turnabout, as well as its own label, MSO Classics. The MSO garnered national recognition as the first American orchestra to offer live recordings on iTunes, and the MSO was the first orchestra to offer downloadable binaural recordings.

Milwaukee Symphony Announces Release of David Ludwig's Pictures from the Floating World

Music Director Ken-David Masur and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra announce the release of their first new release in over a decade - featuring American composer David Ludwig's Pictures from the Floating World and MSO principal bassoonist Catherine Van Handel. The recording will be released worldwide on January 30, 2026. The recording was captured in February 2023 as part of the MSO's Water Festival. Read a review of the performance here.