orchestra

Everyday

1. An orchestra is a large group of musicians who play many instruments together, such as violins, flutes, trumpets and drums. tree →
2. (UK) The orchestra stalls are the seats at the front on the ground floor of a theatre; in the USA "the orchestra" means those seats. tree →
3. The orchestra pit is the low space in front of a stage where the orchestra plays. tree →

In the lessons

In music lessons, the orchestra is split into sections: strings, woodwind, brass and percussion, led by a conductor. In maths problems, musicians in an orchestra are grouped and counted. Phrases: school orchestra, symphony orchestra, orchestra pit, play in an orchestra.

Examples

• I play the violin in the school orchestra. tree →
• The conductor waved his baton and the orchestra began. tree →
• An orchestra has strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. tree →
• The orchestra has 24 violins and 12 cellos, so 36 string players in those two groups. tree →
• We sat near the orchestra pit. tree →
• The orchestra played music for the film. tree →

Note

Pronounced "OR-kes-tra"; the ch sounds like k. Countable. A small group of musicians is a band or an ensemble; an orchestra is large and usually plays classical music.