The history of the Novgorod Regional Philharmonic began on September 18, 1944, with the establishment of the Novgorod Regional Concert and Variety Bureau (NKEB). The main goal of the bureau was to raise the cultural level of the population by popularizing Soviet variety art, classical music, and folk creativity.

In 1959, the philharmonic moved to Novgorod. An important event in its history was the "Russian Music" festival, which has been held for over 50 years. It was opened by a concert of the Moscow Choir Chapel under the direction of Alexander Yurlov on September 10, 1969, in the St. Sophia Cathedral.

In 1987, the regional executive committee ordered the transfer of a building, previously belonging to the regional drama theater, to the philharmonic. This building, located in the Kremlin near the western gate, is one of the best architectural structures of the early 20th century and is associated with the name of Metropolitan of Novgorod and Staraya Russa Arseny Stadnitsky.

Two orchestras were created based on the philharmonic: the Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments named after V.G. Babanov. There are also children's musical ensembles "Trubadur", "Cheerful Notes", and the ensemble of Russian folk instruments "Samovar".

In 2011, the philharmonic was named after Anton Stepanovich Arensky. Every year, concerts are held on its stage where opera and ballet lovers can enjoy performances by leading artists and groups from Russia and other countries. The Novgorod Regional Philharmonic named after A.S. Arensky has a modern hall with high-quality lighting and sound equipment.

Concerts of various genres are held here, from classical to rock, as well as ballet and theatrical productions. Annual music festivals and arts weeks are organized, such as "Russian Music", "Christmas Meetings", the Easter Festival, "Musical Kremlin", and others.