Acknowledged as a prominent cultural institution in Romania, the „Mihail Jora" Philharmonic Orchestra of Bacău prides itself on being home to one of the nation's most highly regarded orchestras. Established in October 1956, the Bacău Philharmonic has steadily enhanced its artistic standing, a direct result of the musicians' professionalism and the commitment of its principal conductors, including Igor Ciornei, Eugen Pricope, and Ovidiu Bălan. Comprising around 75 gifted musicians, the orchestra's core repertoire encompasses a wide range of symphonic, vocal-symphonic, and chamber music from diverse historical eras and stylistic movements.

In addition to its weekly season concerts and ongoing commitment to educational activities and community engagement, the philharmonic organizes several national and international festivals: „Enescu, the Orpheus of Moldavia" (in Bacău and Tescani), „Contemporary Music Days" (the oldest festival dedicated to contemporary works in the country), and the „Bacău Evening Festival." A significant recognition of the orchestra's progress and value is the invitation to perform in Bucharest alongside some of the world's greatest orchestras during the last five editions of the prestigious „George Enescu” International Festival.

For the last three decades, a consistent aspect of the institution's work has been its involvement in numerous international competitions, accompanying the jury-selected semi-finalists and finalists in piano, violin, voice, and wind instruments (in Italy: Città di Cantù, Valsesia Musica, Barletta, A.M.A. Calabria, Racconigi, Brescia; in France: Floraisons Musicales, Aix-en-Provence; in Spain: Madrid).

Due to its artistic value, the orchestra has been requested to make recordings with various record labels in Europe: Electrecord (Romania), Edi Pan, Musica Insieme, Exess (Italy), and Cadenza Music Production (Germany).

Since its establishment, it has performed over 2500 concerts in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Gibraltar, USA, Greece, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, USFR, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Moldova, South Korea, and China. It has participated in the Altamura Music Festival On The Greene and the 20th anniversary of the „Ludwig van Beethoven” Festival (Long Island, USA – 2001), and the „George Enescu” International Festival (Editions 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025).