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: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

that plays popular music (generally

traditional pop Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and 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. ...

s as well as well-known classical works. Pops orchestras are generally organised 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 pseudo ...

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 com ...

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: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola ...

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, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York led by Music Director JoAnn Faletta. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Each season it p ...

, and

Kansas City Symphony The Kansas City Symphony (KCS) is a United States symphony orchestra based in Kansas City, Missouri. The current music director is conductor Michael Stern. The Symphony performs at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 1601 Br ...

) 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 Orchestra 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 Symp ...

is composed primarily of

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

members).

In the United Kingdom

* English Pops Orchestra * Welsh Pops Orchestra

In the United States

* American Pops Orchestra (#1 Pop Orchestra) *

Atlanta Pops Orchestra The Atlanta Pops Orchestra was established in 1945 by Albert Coleman. Coleman, a French immigrant, began working at WSB Radio in Atlanta, Georgia in 1944. At the time he saw a need to gather what he considered to be the best musicians to form the ...

* Austin Pops * Binghamton Philharmonic * Bob Lappin and The Palm Beach Pops *

* Carolina Pops Orchestra * Chattanooga Pops *

Cincinnati Pops Orchestra The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is a pops orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, founded in 1977 out of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Its members are also the members of the Cincinnati Symphony, and the Pops is managed by the same ...

* Cleveland Pops Orchestra * Dallas Pops * Davenport Pops Orchestra
Denver Pops Orchestra
*

Golden State Pops Orchestra The Golden State Pops Orchestra (GSPO) is an American symphony pops orchestra located in the San Pedro district of Los Angeles, California in the United States of America. The GSPO is the resident orchestra of the Warner Grand Theatre, an Art D ...

* Harvard Pops Orchestra *

Hollywood Bowl Orchestra The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (HBO) is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the Hollywood Bowl. John Mauceri led the orchestra from its founding in 1990 ...

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is an American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown Indianapolis on Monument Circl ...

* 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, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National Mem ...

The New York Pops The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States, and the only professional symphonic orchestra in New York City specializing in popular music. Led by Music Director Steven Reineke, the orchestra performs an annual ...

Orlando Pops Orchestra The Orlando Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Orlando, Florida that specializes in playing classical and film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orch ...

* Panama City POPS Orchestra * Pasadena POPS *

Philly Pops The Philly Pops is an orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded by presenter and producer, Moe Septee, and conducted for 35 years by two time Grammy Award-winning pianist Peter Nero, the Philly Pops plays orchestral versions of popu ...

Reno Pops Orchestra {{primary sources, date=April 2019 Reno Pops Orchestra is an all volunteer community orchestra founded in 1982, based in Reno, Nevada. The orchestra is composed of over 65 musicians ranging in age from 11 to 90, including professional musicians, ...

* 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 Canada

* Vancouver Pops Orchestra

References

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