Sweden's Gävle Symphony Orchestra has championed unusual Swedish works since its founding in the early 20th century. The orchestra has helped launch the careers of several prominent conductors.

The Gävle Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1912, giving its first concert on January 16 of that year with a performance of Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, by Gösta Björk, the orchestra's new concertmaster. The orchestra's first conductor was Ruben Liljefors, younger brother of painter Bruno Liljefors. Ruben Liljefors remained principal conductor until 1931, but after that, the tenures of the orchestra's conductors have mostly been short; exceptions were those of Gunnar Staern (1954-1963), Rainer Miedel (1968-1975), and the orchestra's artistic director as of the early 2020s, Jaime Martín, who became principal conductor in 2013. The majority of the conductors have been Swedish or German; Robin Ticciati, conductor from 2006 to 2009, was the first from outside the Germanic speech realm. The orchestra often programs and records less-often-heard Swedish composers such as Joachim Nicolas Eggert, Franz Berwald, and Sven-David Sandström, among many others; included in the group's early digital recordings was a 1997 album devoted to music by Armas Järnefelt. It has also recorded Beethoven and Brahms.

The orchestra has attracted top-notch guest soloists, including, in 1965, a 24-year-old Martha Argerich; guest conductors who stopped in Gävle on their way to international careers were Esa-Pekka Salonen, Eri Klas, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Among the Gävle Symphony's most successful conductors was Miedel, who made the group's first LP records and expanded its reach. The orchestra now tours not only its native central Sweden but also other parts of the country and venues abroad. The Gävle Symphony Orchestra is a small ensemble, with 52 permanent members. As its popularity increased, it outgrew the Gävle Theatre and the Mariners' Church, opening its own hall, the Gävle Konserthus, in 1998 after years of planning and debate. The hall, situated on the Gävle River, is an impressive structure for a city of some 75,000 people. The Gävle Symphony Orchestra has recorded for Sterling, Naxos, and, increasingly often, the Ondine label. In 2022, it backed pianist Eric Le Sage on an Alpha recording of Mozart piano concertos. ~ James Manheim, Rovi