chamber orchestra

American  

noun

1. a small orchestra, commonly of about 25 players.

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chamber orchestra British  

noun

1. a small orchestra consisting of about 25 players, used for the authentic performance of baroque and early classical music as well as modern music written specifically for a small orchestra

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Etymology

Origin of chamber orchestra

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

The music was played by 50 upright pianos, each of them with ever-so-slightly different tuning, amid a scattered chamber orchestra, the Klangforum Wien, of 25 other instruments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025

Jancevskis’s “Lignum” for string orchestra and chimes, played with deep sensitivity by the chamber orchestra Kremerata Baltica, progresses from dissonance to resounding affirmation to an open-ended conclusion.

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2024

Saturday night Anthony Parnther conducted a stirring concert of a student chamber orchestra at the Music Academy of the West.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 14, 2023

This could be a chamber orchestra, a string quartet, a solo piano, a brass band.

From Washington Post • Apr. 28, 2023

This year, Pinky's greatest honor was his appointment as music director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the only full-time chamber orchestra in America.

From 100 New Yorkers of the 1970s by Millard, Max