The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra was created in 1945 by Karl Münchinger and quickly established a reputation for its interpretations of the works of JS Bach, an attempt to liberate this music from the influence of the Romantic Age which was predominant. The success of the orchestra is clear from its indications to perform consistently all over the world at the great concert halls and festivals, including Salzburg, Edinburgh, Prague and Colm are where they appear regularly. Their debut in Paris in 1949 marked the first German orchestra to perform there after the war.

After Münchinger retired, the orchestra worked with artists like Trevor Pinnock, Frans Brüggen, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Christian Zacharias and regularly with Helmuth Rilling.

The comprehensive discography of the orchestra includes famous recordings of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, his Orchestral Suites, the St Matthew Passion and a complete recording of Mozart's later symphonies.

They have also given first performances of works by Philip Glass and Henri Dutilleux. Over the last ten years the orchestra has toured USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, South Korea and Greece.