orchestra

[ awr-kuh-struh ]

noun

1. a group of performers on various musical instruments, including especially stringed instruments of the viol class, clarinets and flutes, cornets and trombones, drums, and cymbals, for playing music, as symphonies, operas, popular music, or other compositions.
2. (in a modern theater)
   1. the space reserved for the musicians, usually the front part of the main floor orchestra pit.
   2. the entire main-floor space for spectators.
   3. the parquet.
3. (in the ancient Greek theater) the circular space in front of the stage, allotted to the chorus.
4. (in the Roman theater) a similar space reserved for persons of distinction.

orchestra

/ ɔːˈkɛstrəl; ˈɔːkɪstrə /

noun

1. a large group of musicians, esp one whose members play a variety of different instruments See also symphony orchestra string orchestra chamber orchestra
2. a group of musicians, each playing the same type of instrument

   a balalaika orchestra

3. Also calledorchestra pit the space reserved for musicians in a theatre, immediately in front of or under the stage
4. the stalls in a theatre
5. (in the ancient Greek theatre) the semicircular space in front of the stage

orchestra

1. A group of musicians who play together on a variety of instruments, which usually come from all four instrument families — brass , percussion , strings , and woodwinds . A typical symphony orchestra is made up of more than ninety musicians. Most orchestras, unlike chamber music groups, have more than one musician playing each musical part.

Derived Forms

• orchestral, adjective
• orˈchestrally, adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of orchestra¹

1590–1600; < Latin orchēstra < Greek orchḗstra the space on which the chorus danced, derivative of orcheîsthai to dance

Word History and Origins

Origin of orchestra¹

C17: via Latin from Greek: the space in the theatre reserved for the chorus, from orkheisthai to dance

Example Sentences

In this case, a major collaboration between the orchestra and the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

“It seemed entirely obvious that some Soviet-styled music might be a good fit. They just had a way of using the orchestra to evoke such emotional strength.”

From New York Times

Over the weekend, the avant-garde orchestra Wild Up hosted five “Democracy Sessions,” presented by the Museum of Contemorary Art in its Warehouse performance space at the Geffen Contemporary.

From Los Angeles Times

Enough with the score, expertly handled by music director and conductor Marc Macalintal and an orchestra that blends Eastern and Western instruments to hypnotic effect.

From Los Angeles Times

The Divan is a training orchestra founded 25 years ago by Barenboim and Palestinian American scholar Edward Said to bring together young musicians from Israel and Middle Eastern Arab countries.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• band
• ensemble

Orchestra Vs. Symphony Vs. Philharmonic

What’s the difference between an orchestra, a symphony, and a philharmonic?

In popular use, orchestra, symphony, and philharmonic are often used interchangeably to refer to a large group of musicians assembled to play music, especially classical music.

The most common (and general) term is orchestra. Most large orchestras include many different instruments and classes of instruments, including strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

The word symphony primarily refers to a complex, multipart musical composition (like Beethoven’s fifth symphony), but it’s also a short way of referring to a symphony orchestra—a large orchestra, the kind that performs symphonies. (Smaller orchestras—those with about 25 people—are often called chamber orchestras). As a noun, the word philharmonic can refer to a symphony orchestra or to the organization that sponsors it (sometimes called a philharmonic society, in which philharmonic is used as an adjective). The word orchestra most commonly refers to the group of musicians, but it can also refer to the space reserved for them, usually the front part of the main floor (sometimes called the orchestra pit).

Both symphony and philharmonic are sometimes used in the names of orchestras, as in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Here’s an example of orchestra, symphony, and philharmonic used correctly in a sentence.

Example: I’ve attended performances of this symphony by the Berlin Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. 

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between orchestra, symphony, and philharmonic.

Quiz yourself on symphony vs. orchestra vs. philharmonic!

Should orchestra, symphony, or philharmonic be used in the following sentence?

Mozart composed this _____ in 1786.