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  • Orchestral Music
  • Composers
  • Musical Instruments

Guide to the Orchestra

Orchestras and the classical music they play can entertain you, tell you stories, make you laugh or cry, or take you away to faraway places. Simply put, listening to an orchestra can be a powerful experience. Knowing a few things about orchestras and the range of music they play can make it even better. Everything you need to get started or refresh your memory is right here in this guide. So, let’s get going!

Lesson Content

In this guide, you will learn about:

  • the orchestra
  • the instruments
  • what orchestras play
  • the “composer’s toolbox”
  • where orchestras play
  • how to be an awesome audience member
  • the Kennedy Center and the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO)
  • additional resources

Welcome!

Orchestras and the classical music they play can entertain you, tell you stories, make you laugh or cry, or take you away to faraway places. Simply put, listening to an orchestra can be a powerful experience. Knowing a few things about orchestras and the range of music they play can make it even better. Everything you need to get started or refresh your memory is right here in this guide. So, let’s get going!


A photograph of the entire National Symphony Orchestra with their instruments and Music Director, Gianandrea Noseda, on the Concert Hall stage with the massive pipe organ behind it. The photo is taken from the balcony level. Everyone is looking up at the camera. Maestro Noseda is standing in front and his hands are clasped in front of him.

The National Symphony Orchestra

The Orchestra

What’s an Orchestra?

Very simply, orchestras are groups of musicians playing instruments together. The first orchestras formed more than 400 years ago—and for composers and audiences alike, it was love at first sound. Orchestras most often play classical, instrumental music and you can quickly identify them by their characteristic mix of instruments from four main instrument families (more on those later). When orchestras are really large, we call them symphony orchestras. Today, a symphony orchestra like the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) has about 100 members. The music has evolved over the years, but one thing’s for sure—with all those instruments playing together, orchestras make some amazing music.

Who’s Who

Orchestra musicians practice (a lot!), listen carefully, and cooperate to make great music. Everyone has an important role to play, but here are a few people you’ll notice with extra responsibilities during a performance:

鉂 The conductor is the person who stands on the podium and leads the orchestra. Conductors guide the musicians on when and how fast and loud to play. They do this mostly through their hand and arm motions. Notice that conductors use their right hand to tell the orchestra how fast or slow to play and their left hand to tell how loud or soft. Some use a slender white stick called a baton as they conduct.

鉂 The concertmaster, usually the lead violin player, is kind of like an assistant to the conductor. Concertmasters walk out on stage before the conductor appears and take a bow before sitting down and giving the signal for the orchestra to tune.

鉂 The lead oboe player plays the “A” note that all the other musicians tune (adjust) their instruments to match. This step, which sounds a little crazy for a minute, ensures that all the instruments sound perfect together when the music starts.

鉂 The soloist can be an orchestra member or a guest musician who performs music that features one instrument over all the others; soloists play their instruments with extraordinary skill.

Related Resources

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David M. Rubenstein
Chairman

Deborah F. Rutter
President

Jordan LaSalle
Interim Senior Vice President
Education

Gianandrea Noseda
Music Director
National Symphony Orchestra

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.

© 2020 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts