The precursor ensemble of the OSI, consisting of approximately 30 musicians, was founded in 1933 under the auspices of the Italian Swiss Radio.
Other composers who directed their compositions with the OSI included Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Frank Martin, Paul Hindemith, Luciano Berio, Darius Milhaud, Hans Werner Henze and Igor Stravinsky.
Principal guest conductors have included Serge Baudo (1997–2000) and Mikhail Pletnev (2008–2010[2]).
Vladimir Ashkenazy held the title of direttore ospite principale of the orchestra from 2013 until his retirement in 2020.
The orchestra's current principal conductor is Markus Poschner, since the 2015–2016 season.