Founded on October 29, 2003, under the patronage of Başkent University, the Orkestra Akademik Başkent performs a repertoire spanning from Baroque to contemporary music and has given numerous world premieres. It was the first orchestra invited from Türkiye to the St. Petersburg Piano Festival (UNESCO's 60th anniversary). In 2017 it was invited to Baku for the Üzeyir Hacıbeyov International Festival, and in 2022 it produced Türkiye's first VR concert recording. Since 2018, the orchestra's General Artistic Director and Principal Conductor has been Orhun Orhon.