The fate of the orchestra in Szczecin resembles Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony: contrasting themes, an atmosphere of conflict, individual pain, several dead ends, and a colossal triumph – the sunny C major chord. The orchestra’s history dates back to the post-war era, a time when Szczecin’s musical life was full of enthusiasm, a great atmosphere of rebuilding, and spontaneity. Several ensembles performed in various locations at that time. The beginnings of Szczecin's orchestral symphony are owed to the work of professionals and enthusiasts, both musical professionals and amateurs. It was they who performed works by Rachmaninoff, Rubinstein, and Tchaikovsky on November 23, 1945, at a concert held... in the Bałtyk cinema. The subsequent phases of the development of symphonic music are reminiscent of the growth rings in a young tree. To this "cinema" ensemble, instrumental formations of the military and railways were added, followed by a 12-member radio orchestra. In 1947, another musical group, the Symphony Orchestra of the Polish Musicians' Association, began operating in the city (like a contrasting theme in Beethoven's symphony). Gradually, the need to regulate this scattered musical activity matured. The collectivization tendencies of those times helped, leading to the creation of the Workers' Musical Society (RTM) in 1948. This year is considered the official beginning of the state orchestra in Szczecin. The first director and conductor of the RTM Orchestra was Felicjan Lasota.

During this time, there was intense thought in Szczecin about rebuilding the Konzerthaus on Małopolska Street, whose surviving facade encouraged reconstruction. The dream of this location for the future Philharmonic returned in the press of the 1950s repeatedly. In 1960, a new concept emerged to house a theater in the Konzerthaus building. Ultimately, the dream of reconstruction and artistic use of this place vanished in 1963 when a demolition tender was announced. Shortly after, a parking lot was built on the site.

Meanwhile, the ministry established the State Philharmonic in Szczecin. The musicians and administration settled, as it turned out, not temporarily, in the left wing of the City Council (today the City Hall building). In the new venue and under the watchful eye of the city authorities, artistic development was overseen by Józef Wilkomirski (1955-1971) and Stefan Marczyk (1971-1990). Subsequent directors were: Jarosław Lipke (1990-1994), Józef Radwan (1994-1996), Jerzy Salwarowski (1996-2003), Zygmunt Rychert (2003-2009), and Mykola Diadiura (2009-2012). For over three decades (1951-1986), the philharmonic also played under the baton of Walerian Pawłowski.

The list of soloists who have performed with the M. Karłowicz Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in Szczecin attests to the institution being a place of resonance for the fame of Polish and foreign artists. These include: Krystian Zimerman, Rafał Blechacz, Emmanuel Ax, Halina Czerny-Stefańska, Lidia Grychtołówna, Witold Małcużyński, Piotr Paleczny, Ewa Pobłocka, Adam Makowicz, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Kaja Danczowska, Bartłomiej Nizioł, Stefania Toczyska, Ewa Podleś, Urszula Kryger, Wiesław Ochman, Andrzej Hiolski, Edward Auer, Zahar Bron, Eugen Indjic, Kevin Kenner, Natalia Gutman, Maurizio Pollini, and Ivan Monighetti. Guest conductors have included: Witold Rowicki, Genadi Rozhdestvensky, Antoni Wit, Krzysztof Penderecki, Tomasz Bugaj, Jerzy Katlewicz, Marek Pijarowski, Tadeusz Strugała, Karol Teutsch, Andrzej Markowski, Kazimierz Kord, and Jerzy Maksymiuk.

Over the decades, the orchestra has been invited to many prestigious musical stages. They have performed at the National Philharmonic and in venues in Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Bulgaria, Italy, the Netherlands, and France.

In 1995, the Szczecin orchestra participated in the 50th-anniversary celebrations of Polish Radio Szczecin, and during the jubilee concert, the album "Symphony of Four Dreams" by Janusz Stalmierski was recorded. Four years later, in 1999, the Szczecin Philharmonic celebrated its own jubilee: the 50th anniversary of the Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra.

At the beginning of the new millennium, the M. Karłowicz Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in Szczecin, together with the NOSPR orchestra, released an album titled "Brahms, Prokofiev – Piano Concertos," which in 2002 was nominated for the Fryderyk Award in the category of album of the year: orchestral music (conducted by Jerzy Salwarowski). In 2005, the orchestra played in extraordinary circumstances: the philharmonic, together with the Castle Opera Orchestra and Szczecin choirs, performed Krzysztof Penderecki’s "Polish Requiem" at the Szczecin Shipyard. The concert, commemorating the victims of December 1970, was conducted by the composer himself.

In 2012, Dorota Serwa became the Philharmonic's director for the next 11 years, entrusting the orchestra's direction to Michał Dworzyński (2012/2013), followed by Ewa Strusińska (2013/2014 and 2014/2015), and Rune Bergmann (2016/2017 – 2023/2024). From the beginning of director Dorota Serwa’s term, the topic of locating the Philharmonic on Małopolska Street, in the place of the old Konzerthaus, returned in Szczecin. In this way, history came full circle. The interrupted symphony was resumed...

In August 2014, the musicians moved to a very modern architectural headquarters. The inaugural concert of the first artistic season in the impressive Sun Hall was played by the Symphony Orchestra under the baton of maestro Jacek Kaspszyk on September 5, 2014. This was the first event in the inaugural cycle ƒorte. ƒortissimo. ƒilharmonia.

In 2018, 70 years had passed since the founding of the Workers' Musical Society. Continuing Szczecin's rich musical tradition, the current artistic director of the philharmonic, world-renowned Norwegian conductor Rune Bergmann, led music lovers into this jubilee year. Today, the philharmonic orchestra is a 90-plus-member ensemble of excellent musicians. The excellent acoustics of the golden symphonic hall at the Philharmonic on Małopolska Street is an undeniable asset of their concerts. The architecturally beautiful building, recognized as the most beautiful building in Europe (the EU Mies van der Rohe Award), has become a driving force for the ensemble's dynamic artistic development. In the 2017/2018 season, stars such as Mischa Maisky, Dina Yoffe, Ingolf Wunder, and Eric Lu performed here. On the conductor's podium, the orchestra has hosted many distinguished maestros, including Łukasz Borowicz, Michael Zilm, and Eugene Tzigane. On the 140th anniversary of the institution's patron Mieczysław Karłowicz’s birth, the Philharmonic recorded and produced an album with Bartłomiej Nizioł as soloist, which was nominated for the Fryderyk Award in the category of album of the year: symphonic and concert music.

However, this is not the end of the orchestra's story, which, in addition to Beethoven's "Fifth," will play many more symphonies...