concertmaster

[ kon-sert-mas-ter, -mah-ster ]

noun

1. the leader of the first violins in a symphony orchestra, who is usually also the assistant to the conductor.

concertmaster

/ ˈkɒnsətˌmɑːstə /

noun

1. a US and Canadian word for leader

Word History and Origins

Origin of concertmaster¹

1875–80; translation of German Konzertmeister. See concert (noun), master

Example Sentences

Tying the day together, the Vienna Philharmonic concertmaster that morning was a 27-year-old Muslim violinist from Nazareth, Yamen Saadi, who who got his start at age 10 in the Divan.

From Los Angeles Times

Her father, Joseph Fuchs, was a violinist and concertmaster with the city’s orchestra and later a longtime teacher at Juilliard.

From New York Times

The Berlin Philharmonic, one of the world’s great ensembles, hired its first female concertmaster last year.

From New York Times

Mehta led the AYS until 1998, when he handed the reins to Alexander Treger, concertmaster of the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

Van Zweden, who got his start as concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam in 1979, when he was 19, said he was eager to once again be part of a European ensemble.

From New York Times