An orchestra is a group of musicians playing their instruments together. Orchestras often play classical music and can be identified by a mix of sounds from the four main instrument families, and are different from bands as they feature strings. Orchestras can range from just a few to several hundred musicians, and play together to create a large, rich sound.
The music director is in charge of all musical aspects of the orchestra. They select the music, hire the musicians, and shape the artistic vision of an orchestra. A conductor is the leader of the orchestra, the person you see waving their arms in front of the musicians. Conductors use their bodies to guide the musicians on details within the music, like the speed (tempo) and loudness/softness (dynamics). The conductor also leads rehearsals.
Christopher Wilkins, Music Director of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra and Conductor of this season’s concerts
An orchestra typically is separated into four sections: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion.
There is a hierarchy within each section, and the first chair player leads the section. The first chair violin player, Greg Vitale, is the concertmaster. The concertmaster is the highest ranking player in the orchestra, and is responsible for leading the tuning at the beginning of rehearsals and concerts, decision making, and leading by example. The concertmaster is considered the “first among equals” and acts as an intermediary between the players and the conductor.
Why is the orchestra arranged this way? Click here for more information!
We are so lucky to have incredibly high level, professional musicians from Greater Boston within the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. Some play in local orchestras like the Boston Ballet, Boston Pops Esplanade, Boston Lyric Opera, and other professional orchestras in the region. Many also teach at leading conservatories and schools.
We also partner with other musical ensembles for our concerts each summer. This year, we are partnering with Berklee’s Reverence Gospel Ensemble, Grooversity, and the Cantata Singers!
Grooversity is an innovative and creative drumming network project envisioned by Brazilian percussionist Marcus Santos. Grooversity’s goal is to promote ethnic music as a catalyst for social change, and as an educational resource. Grooversity focuses on community outreach for positive outcomes while targeting global diversity awareness.
The Cantata Singers is a Boston-based chorus and orchestra inspired by the musical genius of Johann Sebastian Bach. Our concerts explore relationships in music from the 17th century to today and invite exploration of Bach’s profound and continuing influence on our music, our culture, and ourselves. Our education program, Classroom Cantatas, teaches songwriting and choral singing to under-served Boston schoolchildren, guided by the belief that all children deserve the means to express their creative voices.
The Berklee College of Music’s Reverence Gospel Ensemble is a large vocal and instrumental ensemble designed to teach students both the history and characteristics of traditional gospel music and how it has transformed over the years into the contemporary sounds of gospel being performed today. The goal of this ensemble is for each student to use their musicianship to tap into their individual greatness as a performer, bandleader, and person. This ensemble reflects the experience of a professional touring group.
Watching an orchestra is really exciting- and there is no right or wrong musician or section to look at! It can be really fun to watch the conductor’s hand and body motions, especially during moments of tutti (when all of the musicians are playing together). When certain sections are playing by themselves (soli), you might want to watch that section.