In 1895, Willem Mengelberg became chief conductor and remained in this position for fifty years, an unusually long tenure for a music director.

[2] He is generally regarded as having brought the orchestra to a level of major international significance, with a particular championing of such then-contemporary composers as Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss.

The ban was initially imposed for the remainder of his life, but after an appeal, reduced to six years, applied retroactively from 1945.

Van Beinum served as sole chief conductor of the orchestra after World War II until his sudden death on the Concertgebouw podium from a heart attack in April 1959.

After Van Beinum's death, from 1961 to 1963, Haitink and Eugen Jochum shared the post of chief conductor of the orchestra.

[7] In September 2015, the orchestra announced a rapprochement with Haitink, with a scheduled guest-conducting engagement with the RCO in the 2016–2017 season.

[10] Riccardo Chailly made his debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1985, and was elected that year as their next chief conductor to succeed Haitink.

Premières during Janson's tenure have included Hans Werner Henze's Sebastian im Traum, a RCO co-commission.

In April 2014, the orchestra announced the scheduled conclusion of Jansons' tenure as chief conductor after the 2014–15 season.

[16] On 2 August 2018, the orchestra dismissed Gatti as chief conductor with immediate effect, following complaints of "inappropriate" behaviour with female musicians.

[17] In October 2020, the RCO announced the appointment of Iván Fischer as its honorary guest conductor (honorair gastdirigent), effective with the 2021–2022 season.

In June 2022, the RCO announced the appointment of Mäkelä as an artistic partner for the period of 2022–2027, and subsequently as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2027–2028 season, with an initial contract of 5 years.

[26] In August 2020, the orchestra announced the appointment of a new three-person managing board, naming Dominik Winterling as Chairman.