Named for Ludwig van Beethoven, who was born in Bonn, the orchestra's principal concert venue is the Beethovenhalle.

[1][4] The orchestra suffered in World War I, when its main venue, the old Beethovenhalle, served as a lazaretto, and many players were recruited.

[4] The centenary of the orchestra was celebrated on 21 September 2007 as part of the Beethovenfest, performing the premiere of the symphony "Abendland" by Karsten Gundermann, Beethoven's First Symphony and Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto with Gidon Kremer as the soloist.

[7] In February 2016, Dirk Kaftan was named as the next GMD of the orchestra, effective August 2017, with an initial contract of five years.

Notable conductors have also included Paul Hindemith, Hans Pfitzner, Erich Kleiber, Joseph Keilberth, Karl Böhm, Rudolf Kempe, Sergiu Celibidache, Günter Wand, Malcolm Sargent, and Kurt Masur.