Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra

The Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra (Polish: Orkiestra Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie) is one of Poland's leading musical institutions.

It was established in 1901 on the initiative of an assembly of Polish aristocrats and financiers, as well as musicians. Between 1901 and the outbreak of World War II in 1939, a group of virtuoso- and conductor-composers regularly performed their works with the orchestra, including Grieg, Honegger, Leoncavallo, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Richard Strauss, and Stravinsky. Among the other artists who played with the Philharmonic were the pianists Paderewski and Rubinstein, the violinists Heifetz and Sarasate, and the cellist Casals. The Philharmonic has served as host to the Chopin International Piano Competition since the contest's birth in 1927, and also appeared at the inaugural Wieniawski International Violin Competition (1935) and Universal Festival of Polish Art (1937).

The orchestra has worked in many animé soundtracks, which include (but are not limited to): Hellsing Ultimate, Fullmetal Alchemist, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo and Cowboy Bebop.

The Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra also has worked in videogame soundtracks, namely Sega's Phantasy Star Universe and, most recently, Final Fantasy XIII; alongside the OST of Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War-- more specifically, in the making of the title overture, The Unsung War, which is commonly regarded as the Philharmoic's crowning moment.