In 1962 the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation decided to establish a permanent orchestral group. Initially made up of just twelve members, it was originally called the Gulbenkian Chamber Orchestra. Over more than fifty years of activity, the Orquestra Gulbenkian (name adopted since 1971) has been progressively expanded, presently having a staff of around sixty instrumentalists that can be expanded from time to time according to the requirements of each concert program. This constitution allows the Gulbenkian Orchestra to perform a wide repertoire that ranges from Baroque to contemporary music. Works belonging to the current repertoire of the great traditional symphonic formations, namely the orchestral production of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn or Schumann, can be performed by the Gulbenkian Orchestra in versions closer to the orchestral numbers for which they were originally conceived, with regard to to the balance of the respective sound architecture.

Each season, the Orquestra Gulbenkian performs a regular series of concerts at the Grande Auditorio Gulbenkian, in Lisbon, within which it has had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the biggest names in the world of music, namely conductors and soloists. He also performs regularly on other stages in various locations across the country, thus fulfilling a significant decentralizing function. On an international level, in turn, the Gulbenkian Orchestra has gradually expanded its activity, having to date toured Europe, Asia, Africa and
the Americas.

On a record level, the name of Orquestra Gulbenkian is associated with the publishers Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, Hyperion, Teldec, Erato, Adès, Nimbus, Lyrinx, Naïve and Pentatone, among others, and its activity has been distinguished, from a very early age, with several highly prestigious international awards. Hannu Lintu is the current Principal Conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra, succeeding Lorenzo Viotti.