concertmaster

American  

[kon-sert-mas-ter, -mah-ster] / ˈkɒn sərtˌmæs tər, -ˌmɑ stər /

noun

1. the leader of the first violins in a symphony orchestra, who is usually also the assistant to the conductor.

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concertmaster British  

/ ˈkɒnsətˌmɑːstə /

noun

1. a US and Canadian word for leader

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Etymology

Origin of concertmaster

1875–80; translation of German Konzertmeister. See concert (noun), master

Example Sentences

Phil is in a concertmaster search, and Alan Snow, the associate concertmaster of the Minnesota Symphony, sat in.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

A Chicago-based violinist, Mulcahy serves as the concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, and has to regularly make the roughly 700-mile flight between Illinois and Kansas as a result.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 8, 2025

Mehta led the AYS until 1998, when he handed the reins to Alexander Treger, concertmaster of the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2024

Seacrest has experience as a disc jockey, a talk show host, a New Year’s Eve concertmaster and as the longtime host of “American Idol,” once television’s biggest sensation.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 2023

At nineteen—not much older than me—he's already the concertmaster of the Hannover Orchestra.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper