The Swiss Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1998 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of modern Switzerland. The Swiss conductor Martin Studer-Müller is its artistic director. The orchestra consists of approved musicians, who partly play in well-known professional orchestras, as well as of promising young talents. An intensive cooperation with existing professional orchestras in Switzerland is aimed at. The symphonic size of the orchestra varies according to the production and the programme. The musicians participating in a programme, realized in most cases on the basis of a block system, are appointed or selected by the means of an audition. The Swiss Philharmonic Orchestra is a non-profit orchestra. For charity concerts, the participating musicians only get reimbursed their expenses. This makes it possible to realize a considerable net profit which can be donated to a good cause. A certain percentage of the earnings of normal concerts as well is to be put into a pool that supports projects that promote promising young musicians. The reason for doing this is to support efficiently the necessary promotion of the coming generations.