The orchestra's name derives from the Latin name for Copenhagen.

The initial inspiration to form Hafnia Chamber Orchestra came from the impulse to provide the Danish capital with a first-class string orchestra. Gathering some of the best young professional musicians in Denmark, Hafnia played its first series of concerts in Copenhagen and Odense, in the summer of 2005. Since then, Hafnia has performed more than 60 concerts throughout Denmark, and toured in Germany, Vietnam, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The ensemble focuses on varied repertoire for string orchestra, encompassing works from baroque to contemporary.