A pops orchestra is an

orchestra 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: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

that plays popular music (generally

traditional pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western culture, Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known ...

) and

show tune A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. Th ...

s as well as well-known classical works. Pops orchestras are generally organized in large cities and are distinct from the more "

highbrow Used colloquially as a noun or adjective, "highbrow" is synonymous with intellectual; as an adjective, it also means elite, and generally carries a connotation of high culture. The term, first recorded in 1875, draws its metonymy from the pseud ...

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

philharmonic 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: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, a ...

orchestras which also may exist in the same city. This is not to say that the distinction is complete; many symphony orchestras (for instance, the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall (Detroit, Michigan), Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown, Detroit, ...

, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Kansas City Symphony) put on pops performances with some regularity, while other pops orchestras are actually second identities of the "highbrow" orchestra and composed largely of the same players (for instance, the

Boston Pops Orchestra The Boston Pops is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symphony Orc ...

is composed primarily of

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...

members).

In the United Kingdom

* English Pops Orchestra * Welsh Pops Orchestra * Belfast Pops Orchestra

In the United States

* American Pops Orchestra * Atlanta Pops Orchestra * Austin Pops * Binghamton Philharmonic * Bob Lappin and The Palm Beach Pops *

* Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra * Carolina Pops Orchestra * Chattanooga Pops * Cincinnati Pops Orchestra * Cleveland Pops Orchestra * Dallas Pops * Davenport Pops Orchestra
Denver Pops Orchestra
*

* Golden State Pops Orchestra * Harvard Pops Orchestra * Hollywood Bowl Orchestra *

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra was founded in 1930 and is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown ...

* Indian River Pops Orchestra * Minneapolis Pops Orchestra *

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

* The New York Pops * Orlando Pops Orchestra * Panama City POPS Orchestra * Pasadena POPS * Philly Pops * Reno Pops Orchestra * Salt Lake Pops Orchestra * San Francisco Pops Orchestra * Tucson Pops Orchestra * University of Michigan Pops Orchestra

In the Philippines

* De La Salle University Pops Orchestra

In Argentina

* Juan de Dios Filiberto National Orchestra of Argentine Music

In Indonesia

* Twilite Orchestra

In Australia

* Australian Pops Orchestra * Brisbane City Pops Orchestra * Queensland Pops Orchestra

In France

* Sinfonia Pop Orchestra

In Canada

* Vancouver Pops Orchestra

In The Netherlands

* Metropole Orkest

References

{{Reflist