Arco musicale was founded in 1986 as a small string orchestra. The reason for this was the desire to make music at a high level like a "big" string quartet: without the absolutist leadership of a conductor, self-determined, friendly and collegial. In the early years, rehearsals and concerts were conducted by concertmasters such as Marat Dickerman, Zygmunt Solnica and Sedat Sen.

In 1991, the orchestra began working with a permanent conductor, Uwe Krause from Butzbach, who formed arco musicale into an orchestra in the traditional sense. From 1999, the conductors changed several times: Michael Lübbert (Bad Schwalbach), Hans Winking (Cologne), Makoto Natori (Mainz/Walluf), Gordian Teupke (Mainz), Gabriel Dessauer (Wiesbaden), Philipp Armbruster (Mannheim) and Uwe Sochaczewsky (Wiesbaden/Munich). During this time, the orchestra developed into a full-fledged symphony orchestra with over 50 musicians.

Concerts were given in Wiesbaden (e.g. in the Roncalli House, Kulturforum) and the surrounding area (Butzbach, Mainz, Bischofsheim, Schloss Johannisberg). Since 2008, the programs under Uwe Sochaczewsky have ranged up to the top works of symphonic music, which are performed in highly acclaimed concerts. Arco musicale strives for dramaturgically varied programs ranging from Renaissance music to world premieres of contemporary works, e.g. symphonies by Brahms, Dvořák, Sibelius, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Schubert and Mozart, works by Shostakovich, Schnittke and Arvo Pärt.

They often feature top-class soloists such as Agnes Langer and Igor Tsinman (violin), Emanuel Wehse (cello), Merit Ostermann (mezzo-soprano), Lynn Kao (piano) and Betsy Horne (mezzo-soprano).