The Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, or Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, is the most important Symphony Orchestra in Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

. It is a project maintained by the city of Bogotá

Bogotá

Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...

 and its Secretary Office of Culture, Recreation and Sport. Founded in 1967, it regularly performs at the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Theater. Under the current venue's renovations, the orchestra performs at the Concert Halls of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the Leon de Greiff Auditorium, and the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University

Jorge Tadeo Lozano University

Jorge Tadeo Lozano University is a university in Colombia, with campuses in Bogotá, Cartagena, Santa Marta and Chía.-External links: Jorge Tadeo Lozano, the person...

, the Fabio Lozano Auditorium. Its current music director is Israeli composer and conductor Lior Shambadal, replacing New York native conductor Irwin Hoffman

Irwin Hoffman

Irwin Hoffman is an American conductor, born in New York. He was a protege of Serge Koussevitsky. He conducted the Vancouver Symphony from 1952 to 1964, after which he became Associate Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was Acting Music Director of the Chicago Symphony for one...

 in 2009. The orchestra counts over 100 musicians and over 140 public performances a year, also recognized by the Latin Grammy in 2008.

In the city's effort to establish itself as region leader for culture and the arts, the Bogotá Philharmonic extends its functions as classical orchestra to include the promotion and support of multiple music, dance and theater events, including world known Rock al Parque

Rock al parque

Rock al Parque, is a rock music festival taking place in Bogotá, Colombia, since 1995. The festival's entry is free of charge. In 2004, 400,000 people reached the event. It is considered the most important rock festival in Latin America. It has ska, punk, hardcore, metal, and other genres on its...

and related series of acts such as Opera al Parque, Jazz al Parque, Hip Hop al Parque, Dance Festivals and Theater Festivals.