orchestra
A big group of musicians who play music together, usually with a conductor.
A large group of musicians, usually including strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion, who play music together under the direction of a conductor.
The part of a theater where people sit on the main floor, close to the stage.
In a theater or concert hall, the main floor seating area closest to the stage.
- Base: orchestra
- Plural: orchestras
chamber orchestra
1smaller-sized classical orchestra
A smaller orchestra, with fewer players, that usually plays music written for a small group of instruments.
- The festival features a chamber orchestra rather than a full symphony orchestra.
- He prefers playing in a chamber orchestra because it feels more intimate.
school orchestra
1orchestra made of students
An orchestra made of students who play music together at their school.
- Her daughter plays flute in the school orchestra.
- The school orchestra will perform at the end-of-year concert.
string orchestra
1orchestra of only string instruments
An orchestra that is made up only of string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and double basses.
- The piece was written for a string orchestra without any wind instruments.
- Our school has both a full orchestra and a string orchestra.
symphony orchestra
1large classical music orchestra
A large orchestra that plays symphonies and other classical music pieces.
- She won an audition with the city’s symphony orchestra.
- The symphony orchestra will perform Beethoven’s Fifth this weekend.
orchestra pit
1space below stage for orchestra
The open space in front of and below the stage in a theater where the orchestra sits and plays.
- The orchestra pit was so deep that the musicians were almost hidden from the audience.
- The conductor stepped into the orchestra pit and raised his baton.
- During the rehearsal, the conductor asked the singers not to stand too close to the orchestra pit.
- From our seats we could just see the tops of the instruments in the orchestra pit.