Created in August 1955 by Miguel Álvarez Acosta, then Director General of the INBAL, the Orquesta del Teatro de Bellas Artes —originally called the Orquesta de la Ópera— was conceived as a resident ensemble for opera and ballet seasons. It made its debut on 4 September of that same year with Madama Butterfly under the baton of Umberto Mugnai. Salvador Contreras was its first Artistic Director, followed by Salvador Ochoa and, subsequently, an outstanding list of conductors including Abel Eisenberg, Fernando Lozano, Eduardo Mata, Enrique Patrón de Rueda, Enrique Diemecke, Guido Maria Guida, Srba Dinić, and Iván López Reynoso.

Throughout its career, the orchestra has broadened its repertoire with complex works such as Wozzeck, Das Rheingold, Jenůfa, Death in Venice, Turandot, Florencia en el Amazonas, and L’Amour de loin, among many others.

It has been conducted by guest maestros including John DeMain, Plácido Domingo, Marco Armiliato, Riccardo Frizza, and Tania León, and has accompanied legendary figures such as Luciano Pavarotti, Renata Scotto, Montserrat Caballé, Francisco Araiza, Javier Camarena, Elīna Garanča, and Anna Netrebko, consolidating its reputation as one of the country’s leading orchestras in the operatic field.