Since 1948
0 years of ICSO
One of the UK's finest university orchestras, described as being "like a professional orchestra" (LSO Principal Bassoon, Daniel Jemison)
Who we are
Imperial's flagship orchestra
The Imperial College Symphony Orchestra ("ICSO") has been performing works to the highest standard and entertaining the masses since its founding in 1948. As Imperial's flagship orchestra, ICSO regularly plays challenging repertoire across London and beyond, all while the majority of ICSO members study STEM degrees at Imperial. We are proud to perform our annual Spring Concert at Cadogan Hall, home of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
ICSO has a vast history of performing with professional soloists (incl. Charles Owen, Raphael Wallfisch, Andrew Zolinsky, Michael Thompson, Bernard Roberts, and Lara Melda), as well as showcasing selected Imperial student soloists with termly concerto performances. ICSO concerts also demonstrate immense variety: sold-out Cadogan Hall concerts (incl. one with BBC Young Musician 2012, Laura van der Heiden), holding a free-of-charge charity concert on Imperial's own campus, and taking the role of the main orchestra in a 2026 anniversary concert of Britten's War Requiem in Windsor Castle.
ICSO Spring Concert, Cadogan Hall (March 2022)
Nielsen's Symphony No. 4 "The Inextinguishable"
Conductor: Oliver Gooch
ICSO Tour to Ghent, Belgium (June 2026)
Joined by players from IC Sinfonietta, Ghent University Harmony Orchestra, Ghent University Symphony Orchetra, Higher Conservatory of Music of Málaga, Royal Academy of Music, and University of London Symphony Orchestra
Awards and on tour
Awards and a passport full of stamps
ICSO's first TV appearance came at Christmas 2002, in a Channel 4 documentary that transformed punk singer Chris Sweeney into a conductor capable of leading the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: this won a BAFTA and the Golden Rose of Montreux. In 2003, ICSO featured in Robert Winston's BBC series "The Human Mind." In 2008, ICSO won "University Orchestra of the Year" in a one-off competition run by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, against university orchestras from Cambridge, Manchester and Southampton.
Recent ICSO international tours have been to Spain, South Africa, Italy, Czechia and Belgium. These tours have led ICSO to the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival, a 2014 UNICEF benefit in Helsinki's Sibelius Hall, and concerts in Ghent coalescing musicians from London, Belgian, and Spanish universities amidst the June 2026 heat.
Our conductor
Oliver Gooch
The current conductor of ICSO is Oliver Gooch. An inspiring and charismatic musician, Oliver is highly regarded by colleagues, critics and audiences alike. He has collaborated in conducting several major UK orchestras (LSO, Philharmonia, BBC Symphony, Hallé, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Northern Sinfonia), and is also a regular guest conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
"Oliver Gooch, conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, approaches the score with a blend of command and flexibility, never short-changing the grand emotional climaxes." George Hall, The Guardian
Click here for more details about conductor Oliver Gooch
This information is from the unrevamped ICSO website, dating back to 2023. Details about newer years is to be added.
Antonio Pappano created a position for Oliver Gooch at the Royal Opera House as the first Associate Conductor (Vilar) and he has since made his Royal Opera debut with them on tour in Australia with Haydn's 'L'Isola Disabitata'. He also received a Southbank Sky Arts Award nomination for the world premiere of Heart of Darkness in the Linbury.
Mr Gooch is rapidly establishing a reputation as a conductor of considerable versatility in a wide range of symphonic and operatic repertoire. Following his appointment by Sir Antonio Pappano as the first Associate Young Artist at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 2003, his conducting career to date has seen collaborations with many of the major UK orchestras, including the LSO, Philharmonia, BBC Symphony, Hallé, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and northern Sinfonia. He has also continued to have a fruitful relationship with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, as a regular guest conductor. Further afield, he has made highly acclaimed debuts with the Queensland and Tasmanian Symphonies in Australia, Ne Work Sinfonietta, Orchestra i Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan, and Orchestra della Toscana. He has an ongoing relationship with Italy's major touring company, Associazione Lirica e Concertistica Italiana (AsLico).
He remains committed to nurturing new talent. He spearheaded the development of two Young Artist Programmes, one for Mid Wales Opera and, most recently Iford Arts' New Generation Artists, and initiative to identify and support young singers, directors, designers, costume designers and conductors in the early stages of their careers. He has also conducted and presented a number of community operas as Artistic Director of Music at Bray, in partnership with the Windsor Festival, including Noye's Fludde, The Happy Prince, The Little Sweep, Amahl and the Night Visitors and Saint Nicolas. He was also invited to conduct performances of Noye's Fludde with over five hundred school children for the North Wales International Festival in St Asaph's Cathedral in 2015. He has received further recognition for his desire to take opera into new places. His resurrection of the 18th century ballad opera, Inkle and Yarico by Samuel Arnold in Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum, was produced alongside the anniversary of the Act to abolish the salve trade, broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Oliver received his training at Cambridge University, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio. He studied conducting at the Tanglewood Festival under Robert Spano and Seiji Ozawa, and was subsequently nominated for the prestigious Rolex/Mentor Protégé Arts Initiative in Geneva, under Sir Colin Davis. In 2006 he was awarded a prestigious Clore Fellowship, a programme designed to nurture new generations of cultural leaders, and in 2007, he was elected the youngest Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Oliver Gooch
Conductor of ICSO
Socials
"Come to Union!"
Every week, some generous ICSO members volunteer to provide many treats for the mid-rehearsal break, almost always including hot drinks and biscuits.
ICSO has two elected social secretaries dedicated to making sure you have a great time outside of rehearsals too. The ICSO social scene can range from formal dinners, post-rehearsal trips to Beit Quad (home of the Imperial College Union), or post-concert socials across London. Some ICSO socials also include joining forces with Imperial's other musical ensembles, like a 2026 trip to Thorpe Park with members of IC Wind Band and IC Musical Theatre Society.