Voted in 2006 by a group of ten European media outlets as number three on a list of “top ten European Orchestras,” after the Vienna Philharmonic and the Royal Concert , the Berlin Philharmonic (in German: Die Berliner Philharmoniker”) has held a prominent place in the German capital's musical and cultural life. The Berlin Philharmonic's primary concert venue is the Philharmonie, located in the Kulturforum area of the city. Simon Rattle has been the Berlin Philharmonic's principal conductor since 2002. Subsidized by the city of Berlin in partnership with the Deutsche Bank, the Berlin Philharmonic also supports several chamber music ensembles.

Founded by 54 musicians in the spring of 1882 under the name “Frühere Bilsesche Kapelle” (literal translation: “Former Bilse's Band”) in 1882, the players formed a breakaway group after conductor Benjamin Bilse announced plans to take the band on a fourth class train to Warsaw for a concert. Under the financial management of Hermann Wolff in 1887, the orchestra was reorganized and given its current name. Ludwig Brenner became the Berlin Philharmonic's first conductor; in 1887 Hans von Bülow, one of the most respected conductors in the world, joined, thereby establishing the orchestra's reputation. The Berliners subsequently engaged a string of other esteemed composers/conductors such as Hans Richter, Felix von Weingartner, Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, Johannes Brahms, and Edvard Grieg.

In 1985, Arthur Nikisch became chief conductor, then was succeeded by Wilhelm

Fürtwängler. After Fürtwängler fled to Switzerland in 1945, Leo Borchard became chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic; however, this arrangement lasted only a few months when Borchard was accidentally shot and killed by American forces occupying Berlin. Sergiu Celibidache then took up the baton as chief conductor from 1945 to 1952.

Fürtwängler returned in the same year and conducted the orchestra until his death in 1954.

With the ascendance to the conductor's podium of the glamorous, dynamic and controversial (due to allegations surrounding his possible membership in the Nazi party) Herbert von Karajan in 1955, the Berlin Philharmonic entered a period of tremendous activity, marked by a vast number of recordings and world tours. Herbert von Karajan resigned in April 1989, only months before his death.

After von Karajan, Claudio Abbado became principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, expanding the orchestra's repertoire beyond the classical and romantic warhorses and moving it into the works of the modern 20th century. Abbado stepped down in 2002.

During the post-unification period, the Berlin Philharmonic had to contend with financial problems resulting from budgetary stress in the city of Berlin.

Simon Rattle was elected as chief conductor in 1999 by the Berlin Philharmonic's musicians. Rattle made it a condition of his contract that the Berlin Philharmonic become a self-governing public foundation, with the power to make its own artistic and financial decisions. This in turn involved a change in the state law, approved in 2001, thereby allowing Mr. Rattle to join the organization in 2002. Initially, Mr. Rattle's contract with the orchestra was through 2012; however, in 2008 the Berlin Philharmonic voted in favor of retaining him as their chief conductor.