Founded in 1993 thanks to the farsighted vision of Vladimir Delman, Marcello Abbado, and Luigi Corbani, and the seminal initiative of Roberto Mazzotta—who sought to bring together over 100 young musicians graduated from the most important conservatories in a large symphonic ensemble—it quickly won over the general public and critics as "laVerdi." Today, the Milan Symphony Orchestra is recognized as one of the most prestigious Italian orchestras.
After founder Vladimir Delman (1993–1994), three highly prestigious Music Directors have succeeded one another: Riccardo Chailly (1999–2005), who elevated the Orchestra to one of the most important international symphonic ensembles, capable of excelling in a repertoire ranging from Bach to contemporary music; Xian Zhang (2009-2016), the first female conductor to hold such a post in Italy, and Claus Peter Flor (2017-2022), who consolidated its position as a leading ensemble for the great symphonic repertoire of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The new Music Director, starting with the 2024/25 Season, is Emmanuel Tjeknavorian.

The Orchestra's history has been marked by collaborations with some of the world's most acclaimed conductors, such as Carlo Maria Giulini, Peter Maag, Georges Prêtre, Riccardo Muti, Valery Gergiev, Daniele Gatti, Herbert Blomstedt, Sir Neville Marriner, and Christopher Hogwood. Other notable guest conductors include Rudolf Barshai, Roberto Abbado, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Helmuth Rilling, Oleg Caetani, Krzysztof Penderecki, Patrick Fournillier, Wayne Marshall, and Andrey Boreyko, as well as Vladimir Jurovsky, Gianandrea Noseda, Pietari Inkinen, Robert Treviño, and Tarmo Peltokoski at the beginning of their careers. Among the great soloists with whom he has collaborated are Mstislav Rostropovič, Martha Argerich, Salvatore Accardo, Steven Isserlis, Lilya Zilberstein, Joshua Bell, Mario Brunello, Yuri Bashmet, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Yefim Bronfman, Rudolf Buchbinder, Alicia De Larrocha, Isabelle Faust, Nelson Freire, Hilary Hahn, Hélène Grimaud, Viktorija Mullova, Vadim Repin and Pepe Romero.

The Orchestra promotes an extraordinarily wide-ranging concert activity, which sees it engaged in Milan – where it presents a main Season of over 30 symphonic programmes each year –, in Lombardy and at the most important festivals and music centres.

In Italy, it has performed at many prestigious events: the Concert for the 150th Anniversary of Italian Unification at the Milan Auditorium in 2011, in the presence of the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano; two concerts at the Vatican in honor of Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 and 2012; Britten's War Requiem with Xian Zhang at Teatro alla Scala in 2011, for the 10th anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers; Mahler's Eighth Symphony – the famous "Symphony of a Thousand" – with Riccardo Chailly at the Congress Center of the Milan Fair in 2013, which celebrated the Orchestra's 20th anniversary; and Verdi's Requiem with Riccardo Frizza at Milan Cathedral in 2023, on the occasion of the official celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Alessandro Manzoni's death.

The Orchestra has toured extensively worldwide, from Europe to Japan (with Riccardo Chailly and Martha Argerich), from Russia to South America (with Oleg Caetani), and is regularly invited to the world's most prestigious concert venues. Recent engagements include acclaimed concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg in 2012 and 2017, the BBC Proms at London's Royal Albert Hall in 2013, the Grosses Festspielhaus Salzburg in 2016, the Festival de La Chaise-Dieu in France in 2017, and the KKL Lucerne, where the Orchestra has performed regularly since 2018. Recent engagements include concerts in Spain, Portugal, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in 2022 with Verdi's Requiem, and in Germany at the Rheingau Festival and the Kissinger Sommer in 2023 and 2024.

Since 1998, the Orchestra has tackled the great symphonic-choral repertoire with the Coro Sinfonico di Milano, founded by Romano Gandolfi and conducted since the 2022/23 Season by Massimo Fiocchi Malaspina. Together, the Orchestra and Choir have been the protagonists of acclaimed performances of Verdi's Requiem, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Bach's Passions (first conducted by Riccardo Chailly in 1999), Rossini's Stabat Mater, Mahler's Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, and 8, Stravinsky's Les Noces, Symphony of Psalms, and Oedipus Rex, Shostakovich's Symphony No. 2, and Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky, among others.

The Orchestra has always aimed to expand the boundaries of its musical offerings by supporting contemporary creation, with programming works by the most authoritative composers on the international scene (Luciano Berio, Honorary Director of the Orchestra until his death in 2003, Wolfgang Rihm, Arvo Pärt, Krzysztof Penderecki, Salvatore Sciarrino, Bruno Maderna, Thomas Larcher), the commissioning of new music by the most significant voices in Italian composition (Azio Corghi, Adriano Guarnieri, Fabio Vacchi, Nicola Campogrande, Silvia Colasanti, Francesco Filidei, Marco Momi, Orazio Sciortino, Filippo Del Corno, Carlo Boccadoro), and the experimental hybridization of artistic languages ​​(from visual art to cinema to pop-rock) which in many cases has led to the birth of new formats and successful programs.

Firmly convinced that access to music, understood as a transformative force capable of improving people's lives, is a universal right, and in line with the 2030 Agenda's guidelines for sustainable development, inclusion, and social integration, the Orchestra stands out for its tireless engagement with new audiences through concert series dedicated to children and families, vulnerable individuals, and areas at risk of educational poverty, successfully launched since the early 2000s.
At the same time, the Orchestra promotes "making music together" by supporting several important groups. Each year, over 200 talented young musicians, aged 10 to 24, actively participate in the Kids and Junior Symphony Orchestras, the Children's Choir, and the I Giovani di Milano Choir. 100 non-professional musicians are involved in the Amateur Symphony Orchestra, and more than 500 people attend the "Per Tone-Deaf" singing courses.

Since its founding, the Orchestra has engaged in an intense recording activity, releasing over 30 CDs with prestigious labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Sony, EMI, and RCA. Many of these albums have received major international awards, including the Gramophone Award, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Classic FM People's Choice, and the Choc de l'Année from Classica.
Of particular note are the recordings conducted by Riccardo Chailly for Decca: Verdi - Messa Solenne, featuring five world premiere recordings of sacred compositions by Giuseppe Verdi; the Orchestral Transcriptions of Luciano Berio; and three albums of rarities by famous Italian composers: Rossini Discoveries, Verdi Discoveries and Puccini Discoveries. Furthermore, the Orchestra has recorded the complete Symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich, with the Symphonies conducted by Oleg Caetani and the Chamber Symphonies conducted by Rudolf Barshai, and has dedicated several albums to twentieth-century Italian music under the direction of Giuseppe Grazioli, with works by Rota, Marinuzzi, Alfano, Salviucci and Carpi.

In 2023, on the occasion of the Orchestra Sinfonica's 30th anniversary and the Coro Sinfonico's 25th anniversary, he conceived and promoted the Mahler Festival in Milan, featuring performances of the complete symphonies and Lieder cycles for voice and orchestra by the great Bohemian composer, performed by Italy's leading orchestras. The project was awarded the prestigious 2024 Abbiati Prize from Italian Music Critics.

Since 1999, its home has been the Milan Auditorium Fondazione Cariplo, a concert hall renowned for its extraordinary acoustics.

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Lombardy Region, the City of Milan, and the Cariplo Foundation.