The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, led by its founder Gintaras Rinkevičius, made its debut in 1989. The orchestra's activities began in the year of Sąjūdis and developed in parallel with the history of restored Independence. It is not for nothing that the collective's first name was the Youth Symphony Orchestra. A young country, young musicians, a young conductor and great hopes for the future. Although the solid name of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra has been given already after three years of operation, the musicians and their leader are still continuing their youthful traditions.

Many generations of music lovers still remember January 30, 1989 - the first concert of the orchestra, which took place in the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. Everyone who wanted to could not enter, the hall only had 1000 seats, so the audience even broke the metal doors of the Opera and Ballet Theater! In the orchestra - almost all young people, students, G. Rinkevičius who stood at the console was only 28 years old... The first sounds of the symphonic poem "Miške" by M. K. Čiurlionis, L. van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony... The young conductor's expressive bridges, amazing energy hypnotized the audience, provoked the music to sound somehow different, lively. Breathtaking, sparkling in the forte, delicate, sensual lyrics, emotional breakthroughs... It was so unusual, brave, strong... Everyone realized that they were witnesses of a historic evening. It was a time of courage and determination.

G. Rinkevičius and his orchestra became one of the symbols of the renewal of the young state, the agitated society. The programs prepared by the orchestra were like a repertoire explosion in the capital's musical life. The ambitious conductor began to present to the Lithuanian audience unheard monumental works - Richard Wagner's "Parsifal", Edward Elgar's "The Dream of Gerontius", Arthur Honegger's "Joan of Arc on the Fire", William Walton's "Balthazar's Feast", all Gustav Mahler's symphonies.

During the first decade of its activity, LVSO really lived as a student, without its own roof, sheltering wherever it could, but the audience faithfully followed. In 1999, after the persistent efforts of G. Rinkevičius, the orchestra finally got a home - Vilnius Congress Palace. Although the hall was built for other purposes and was not suitable for playing music, the audience fell in love with the new space. Youth, novelty, freshness, the conductor's charisma have attracted the interest of a wider audience, you can see many young couples, students, businessmen, teenagers here... LVSO has become fashionable! G. Rinkevičius offers the audience not only P. Tchaikovsky or J. Brahms, but also the music of "Electric Light Orchestra", rock groups "Queen" and "Pink Floyd".

An important direction of the orchestra's activity is stage productions of operas ("Pajacai", "Boheme", "The Magic Flute", "Werter", "Svynis Tod", "Eugene Onegin", "Katia Kabanova", "Visos jas taksi", "John and Greta ", "Troubadours", "Pelejas ir Melisanda", "Tosca", "Faust", "The Queen of Spades"), which were undertaken by the director Dalia Ibelhauptaitė, who gathered the unofficial group of "Bohemians", which has now grown into the official troupe "Vilnius City Opera" . Concert performances of LVSO operas (Richard Wagner's "Parsifal", Giuseppe Verdi's "Simon Bokanegra", Dmitri Shostakovich's "Lady Macbeth from the Mtsensk District", Julius Juzeliūnas' "The Game", etc.) become big events every time.

The orchestra annually organizes concert tours in European countries, has performed with famous musicians, including conductors Nikolaj Aleksejevas, Young-Min Park, Brian Schembri, Martynas Staškus, Modestas Pitrėnas, Julius Geniušas, Martinš Ozolinš, Fabrice Grégorutti, Charles Olivieri-Munroe, Marc Tardue , pianists Nikolay Luganskis, Petras and Lukas Geniušai, Nikolay Petrovs, Aleksandar Palėjs, Ekaterina Mečetina, Gintaras Januševičius, Andrius Žlabys, Katia Skanavi, violinists Gidon Kremer, Liana Isakadze, Dalia Kuznetsovaitė, Sergejus Malov, Vadim Repin, Alena Baeva, cellists David Gering , Misha Maisky, Alexander Kniazev, Sergeius Antonov, Vytautas Sondeckis, Denis Shapovalov, trumpeter Sergej Nakariakov, singers Violeta Urmana, Mikhail Kazakov, Placido Domingo, Andrea Bocelli, Irena Milkevičiūtė, Vladimir Prudnikov, Sergej Larin, Asmik Grigorian, Edgar Montvidas and other prominent several generations of Lithuanian soloists, Moscow Trio, Kaunas State Choir, Choir "Latvia" and many other performers of Lithuanian and foreign classical, popular and rock music.

The orchestra also pays a lot of attention to its educational mission - to introduce listeners to the highest level of professional music art, to contribute to the spread of musical ideas. Every year, the orchestra prepares a wide-ranging repertoire, presents exceptional programs, invites young talents to perform together with famous and already recognized soloists. Spectators and young listeners are delighted by the orchestra's special educational programs for children, in which theater actors and circus artists take part alongside the orchestra.