First called the Orchestre du Nouveau Cercle des Étrangers when it was founded in 1856, then the Orchestre National de l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo in 1958, and finally the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo since 1980, the OPMC occupies a prominent place in the international musical world.

From 1856 to the present day, the greatest conductors have succeeded one another as permanent conductors, such as Marc César Scotto, Louis Frémeaux, Victor de Sabata, Igor Markevitch, James DePreist, Marek Janowski and Yakov Kreizberg. Since the 2016/17 season, Kazuki Yamada has been the artistic and musical director of the OPMC.

In the autumn of 2010, the OPMC Classics label was launched, with a number of critically acclaimed recordings already released.

In addition to its symphonic season and collaborations with Monegasque cultural entities, the orchestra is regularly invited by major concerts halls and international festivals: Aix-en-Provence, Paris, Prague, Granada, Amsterdam, Montreux, Vienna, Orange, Dresden, Bonn, Leipzig, Ankara, Athens, Bad Kissingen, Dublin, Lisbon, Rheingau, La Roque d’Anthéron…

The OPMC is also open to other musical styles and has collaborated with Marcus Miller, Raul Midon, Roy Hargrove, Leila Hathaway, Avishai Cohen, Stacey Kent, Jamie Cullum, Dame Shirley Bassey, and recently with IAM, Hugh Coltman, Melody Gardot and André Ceccarelli.

Under the presidency of H.R.H. The Princess of Hanover, the OPMC benefits from the support and encouragement of H.S.H. Prince Albert II, the support of the Government of Monaco, the Société des Bains de Mer and the Association des Amis de l’Orchestre.