An orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments:
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestras.
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duties of the conductor are to interpret the score in a way that reflects the specific indications in that score, set the tempo, ensure correct entries by ensemble members, and "shape" the phrasing where appropriate. Conductors communicate with their musicians primarily through hand gestures, usually with the aid of a baton, and may use other gestures or signals such as facial expression and eye contact. A conductor usually supplements their direction with verbal instructions to their musicians in rehearsal.
Joseph Wilhelm Mengelberg was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest symphonic conductors of the 20th century.
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Sarah Chang is a Korean American classical violinist. Recognized as a child prodigy, she first played as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1989. She enrolled at Juilliard School to study music, graduated in 1999, and continued university studies. Especially during the 1990s and early to mid-2000s, Chang had major roles as a soloist with many of the world's major orchestras.
Paavo Allan Engelbert Berglund was a Finnish conductor and violinist.
Concerto for Group and Orchestra is a live album by Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in September 1969. It consists of a concerto composed by Jon Lord, with lyrics written by Ian Gillan. This is the first full length album to feature Ian Gillan on vocals and Roger Glover on bass. It was released on vinyl in December 1969. The original performance included three additional Deep Purple songs, "Hush", "Wring That Neck", and "Child in Time"; these were included on a 2002 release. This was the last Deep Purple album distributed in the US by Tetragrammaton Records, which went defunct shortly after.
Ivry Gitlis was an Israeli virtuoso violinist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. He performed with the world's top orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra is a Malaysian orchestra based in Kuala Lumpur. The orchestra is resident at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall. It is one of Asia's leading orchestras and is praised for its musical qualities.
Julian Rachlin is a Lithuanian-born violinist, violist and conductor.
Augustin Hadelich is an Italian-German-American Grammy-winning classical violinist.
Kees Bakels is a Dutch conductor.
Sidney Sax (1913–2005) was a British violinist. He was a noted orchestral leader and also a contractor, arranging personnel for many recording sessions. In 1964, he jointly founded the National Philharmonic Orchestra, London together with Charles Gerhardt.
The Indianapolis Youth Orchestra is an organization in Indianapolis, Indiana that exists "to develop the musical talent and nurture the personal growth of young people in Indianapolis and central Indiana through the rehearsal and performance of orchestral masterworks, both traditional and contemporary." The Indianapolis Youth Orchestra was founded by Susan Kitterman in 1982 and currently consists of three separate orchestras:
Quartissimo is a Slovenian string quartet featuring Žiga Cerar on first violin, Matjaž Bogataj on second violin, Luka Dukarić on viola, and Samo Dervišić on cello. The group's name is a portmanteau of quartet and the Italian suffix -issimo, which means extremely.
The Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber is a university of music in Dresden, Germany.
Herbert Menges OBE was an English conductor and composer, who wrote incidental music to all of Shakespeare's plays.
The Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra was the first, and for many years the only, symphony orchestra in the United States formally chartered upon inception to represent and serve the gay/lesbian community. Founded in 1992 by the late Kevin Ford, it is headquartered in Minneapolis and performs at the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul. Its current Artistic Director and Principal Conductor is Dr. Brian Edward Dowdy.
The Tulsa Youth Symphony Orchestra (TYS) is an Oklahoma nonprofit arts organization founded in 1963 to provide advanced orchestral training and performance experience for young musicians in Northeastern Oklahoma. As of 2016, more than 200 students, ages 8 to 18, participate in the program’s two orchestras. The orchestra is composed of students from northeast Oklahoma communities and schools including Tulsa, Bartlesville, Owasso, Sapulpa, Sand Springs, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Coweta, Grove, Oologah, Jenks, and Holland Hall, as well as home schooled children.
