In April 1975, the orchestra was established as a self-managed entity by young and talented musicians, centered around conductor Shunsaku Tsutsumi. In the same year, it successfully completed European performances, including the opening concert of the Belgrade Music Festival, as well as performances in Hong Kong and Macau, thereby establishing its trajectory as a professional orchestra.

Its annual performances, exceeding 100, encompass a wide range of activities, not only regular and special concerts but also opera and ballet performances, pop concerts, film music, television appearances, CD recordings, and music appreciation classes. Particularly on television, through TV Asahi's Untitled Concert, it has showcased its fresh and captivating performances, earning widespread acclaim throughout Japan.

In September 1997, Taijiro Iimori, renowned for German music, especially as a Wagner conductor, was appointed Principal Conductor. In the four-year project launched in September 2000, the complete four-part performance of “Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestral Opera Der Ring des Nibelungen” (directed and composed by Isao Takashima) saw the high-standard Wagner music created by Iimori & Tokyo City Philharmonic generate significant reactions from various quarters and consistently receive high praise. High-standard music and staging were also praised in subsequent productions of Lohengrin, Parsifal, and Tristan und Isolde, and in 2005, Lohengrin received the Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Music Award Encouragement Prize.

In April 2002, Hikotaro Yazaki, a Paris-based conductor deeply knowledgeable in French music, was appointed Principal Guest Conductor. Through a groundbreaking series titled Colors and Shadows of French Music, which broadly and systematically covered the world of French music, he played a role in disseminating it within the Japanese music scene.

The orchestra also actively engages in community activities. Since 1994, it has formed an artistic partnership with Koto City, Tokyo, with Tiara Koto as its main base. It conducts a wide range of activities aimed at promoting local music culture, including various concerts such as the Tiara Koto Subscription Concerts, open rehearsals, open instrument lessons, music appreciation classes, and outreach activities to elementary schools within the ward.

In April 2012, Fumiaki Miyamoto was appointed as the first Music Director. He introduced a new spirit to the orchestra by setting themes for each season: Complete Combustion, Soaring, and Launch!

In April 2015, marking the orchestra's 40th anniversary, Ken Takaseki was appointed as the 4th Principal Conductor. He actively featured opera works, such as Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust at the 300th Subscription Concert and the opera Yuzuru (concert version) at the 50th Tiara Koto Subscription Concert, both of which received high acclaim.

In March 2019, the orchestra performed Ikuma Dan's opera Yuzuru in Vladivostok and Saint Petersburg, showcasing the appeal of Japanese opera works abroad. In April of the same year, Sachio Fujioka was appointed Principal Guest Conductor.

In May 2021, to commemorate the 80th birthday of Conductor Laureate Taijiro Iimori, a special concert featuring highlights from Der Ring des Nibelungen (concert version) was held. Despite being held during the COVID-19 pandemic, it achieved great success by inviting world-class Wagnerian singers from abroad, and in August 2022, it received the 30th Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Music Award.

In April 2025, the orchestra will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and is an orchestra from which further achievements are most anticipated.

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