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History

In August 2013, the SOM was established as the successor to the Muziekcentrum van de Omroep Foundation. In the new foundation, the resources and people that take care of the programming and production of the concert series of the public broadcaster are brought together with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Groot Omroepkoor. Broadcasting partners are NTR and AVROTROS.

Live music
The above parties are responsible for the live music that the public broadcasters provide in concert series such as the NTR Saturday Matinee, the AVROTROS Friday Concert and the Sunday Morning Concert. These concerts are broadcast live on NPO Radio 4. The concert series is performed before an audience in the Royal Concertgebouw and TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht.

The Netherlands Broadcasting Music Centre
The SOM owns the building, the Netherlands Broadcasting Music Centre at Heuvellaan 33 in Hilversum. Besides the SOM ensembles Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Netherlands Radio Choir, the centre also accommodates incidental tenants and permanent tenants such as the Metropole Orchestra, the Hilversum music school Globe and dB Media Group.
For information on building and facilities, visit the site of the Muziekcentrum van de Omroep.

Music Treasures
Since 1 March 2018 the renewed site www.muziekschatten.nl is online. 'Music treasures' provides access to the digitised catalogue of sheet music owned by the Broadcasting Music Foundation. Through the catalogue, a selection of digitised sheet music can be viewed and downloaded by registered and paying members. The selection shows a representative part of the vast collection of broadcasting music and will be extended with more digitized material and background information. Music Treasures' has been made possible by financial contributions from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the municipality of Hilversum and an investment by the Netherlands Broadcasting Music Foundation.

Former MCO

The Muziekcentrum van de Omroep (MCO foundation) used to consist of the broadcasting ensembles Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Choir, Radio Chamber Philharmonic and Metropole Orchestra, as well as the Netherlands Radio Music Library and the MCO Education department. As a result of budget cuts, the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic and the Netherlands Music Library were disbanded and the Metropole Orchestra and MCO Education made a new start on an independent basis.

 

Coming soon

Sunday, November 9, 2025
The Sunday Morning Concert

Brahms' Symphony No. 2 and Beethoven conducted by Dima Slobodeniouk

Saturday, November 15, 2025
NTR Saturday Matinee

British music: from requiem to pastoral

Thursday, November 20, 2025
Other series

Pieces of Tomorrow - Shostakovich 5

Friday, November 21, 2025
AVROTROS Friday Concert

Karina Canellakis conducts Shostakovich 5

Saturday, November 29, 2025
NTR Saturday Matinee

Messiaen's overwhelming Turangalîla

Saturday, December 13, 2025
NTR Saturday Matinee

Stéphane Denève performs Gounod's original Faust

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