was established in 1960 at the Slovak Philharmonic by the outstanding violinist of Silesian origin, B. Warchal (1930 – 2000). Since the beginning of its existence it has been one of the most popular ensembles of classical music in Slovakia. In 2001 E. Danel took over leadership of the orchestra. Apart from regular concerts at the Slovak Philharmonic and participation in festivals and concert tours abroad, the orchestra presents many exceptional projects. The orchestra has discovered many works of famous international composers for the Slovak public. The orchestra plays a significant role in presenting the works of Slovak composers and has premiered more than seventy works since 2001.

They regularly perform special concerts not only for the anniversaries of important composers and personalities from the music world, but also commemorate the exceptional contribution made to the Slovak music scene by their founder in a special concert, Hommage à Bohdan Warchal. As part of the Church Music Cycle, the Slovak Chamber Orchestra supports the work of professional and non-professional choirs. It is important to mention that the orchestra continues to maintain the nearly two-hundred-year-old Bratislava tradition of performing Haydn’s Seven Last Words of our Saviour on the Cross in St. Martin’s Cathedral on Palm Sunday and continues to present “Concerts without barriers” for the disabled.

At the beginning of its 65th anniversary season in 2025/2026, the orchestra will perform at the Olomouc Autumn Festival of Sacred Music (Czechia), and will also give two concerts in the birthplaces of the orchestra’s artistic leaders: its founder B. Warchal (Orlová), and its current leader E. Danel (Horní Suchá). In the spirit of tradition, the Slovak Chamber Orchestra will also perform at cultural events in several Slovak cities (Prešov, Humenné, Michalovce, Lučenec, Piešťany). Among its tours abroad, the orchestra plans to travel to Greece, where it will take part in the International Chamber Music Festival of the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, and it will also perform at the Festival des Forêts and Flâneries Musicales de Reims (France). The orchestra will collaborate with leading soloists, including violinists Ionian Ilias Kadesha, Dalibor Karvay and Ivan Ženatý, pianist Igor Ardašev, clarinettists Igor Františák and Gábor Varga, oboist Matúš Veľas, and Pavel Bogacz and Andrej Gál, who also perform as principal players in the chamber orchestra itself.