The Belgrade Philharmonic was founded in 1923. Its founder, the first director and principal conductor was one the most prominent Serbian composers and conductors Stevan Hristić.
 The tradition of its celebrated founder was continued by eminent artists such as Lovro Matačić, Oskar Danon, Krešimir Baranović, Živojin Zdravković, Angel Šurev, Anton Kolar, Horst Ferster, Jovan Šajnović, Vasilij Sinajski, Emil Tabakov, and Uroš Lajovic, all of them art directors of the Belgrade Philharmonic. They helped the Orchestra make its first, unsteady steps in the days of forming the regular music scene in Serbia and also in the postwar period, where they serverd as a key element in the lengthy, gradual process of mastering the art of music and obtaining an impressive level of musical performance. The Belgrade Philharmonic had its culminating point in the 1960s under the lead of Živojin Zdravković, when it was ranked 5th best European orchestra by the world experts. That success is partly owed to recordings for the renowned music company EMI. The history of this leading national orchestra was marked by outstanding performances with famous artists such as Raphael Kubelik, Malcolm Seargent, Andre Navarra, Karl Bohm, Leopold Stokowski, Kiril Kondrasin, Genadi Rozdestvenski, Zubin Mehta, Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Isaak Stern, Henrik Schering, Leonig Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Arthur Rubinstein, Svajtoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Rudolph Kempe, Gideon Kremer, Ivo Pogorelic, Gustav Khun, Ivan Fischer, Vladimir Krainev, Maksim Vengerov, Julian Rachlin, Valery Afanasev, Nigel Kennedy, and many others.
After the turbulent 1990s, which had a considerably negative impact on the quality of the Serbian music scene, the new millennium also meant new hope for the future of the Belgrade Philharmonic and announced its return on the international stage. This "revival" was marked by tours in the important musical centers in Slovenia, Austria, Italy, and Sweden. The new and refreshed image of the Orchestra was accentuated by the influx of young musicians, educated in the renomated world music centres. In the 2003/2004 season, the Orchestra returned to its modern and completely renovated building in the city center, equipped with a hall with a total of 201 seats. Most concerts are traditionally held at the Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment Hall, whereas the central hall is used for special events or chamber orchestra performances by other artists. The quality of the Belgrade Philharmonic is greatly supported by the Belgrade Philharmonic Foundation, founded with the sole goal of improving the finances of the Orchestra through implementation of an advanced network of sponsors and friends of the Belgrade Philharmonic. At the incentive of one of the greatest modern conductors Zubin Mehta, a new branch of the Belgrade Philharmonic Foundation was founded in the 2005/2006 season. This subfund, named after its founder Zubin Mehta, is intended for the acquisition of new instruments and the renewal of the instrumentarium.
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