What is a Chamber Orchestra?

A chamber orchestra is group of approximately 25 to 40 musicians. It is larger than a chamber ensemble such as a quartet or octet but smaller than a symphony orchestra which can range from 60 to over 100 players.

Given the modest number of musicians in a chamber orchestra, the sound of each musician is more "exposed" than in a larger ensemble. Thus, the challenge and opportunity of a chamber orchestra is to fill each seat with a musician of soloist quality. Each player's attention to detail, clarity of line, and personal energy is critical. The overall effect for listeners is a sound that is clear, clean, fresh, initmate, and compelling. Listeners will discover new sounds and musical insights in chamber orchestra performances because of their unique clarity and sharply focused musical tapestry.

Chamber orchestras precede the modern-day symphony orchestra. There is a wealth of repertoire written for chamber orchestras. Virtually all orchestra music of both the Baroque and Classical periods (approximately 1600 to 1825) was written for chamber orchestras because the standard symphony orchestra of that time is the size of today's chamber orchestra. Prominent composers of these periods include Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Haydn. During the 19th century, when orchestras swelled in size to perform symphonic works of the Romantic period, composers continued to write chamber works. As the modern symphony orchestra reached its present size to perform the large scale works of Strauss, Mahler, Shostakovich and others, composers continued to write music for the chamber orchestra because of its unique capabilities.

The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra is fortunate to have the newly remodeled Capitol Theater as its artistic home. The initimate, clear, and wonderfully open acoustics of today's Capitol Theater is a perfect match for the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and allows the listener to experience the music in ideal surroundings.