Sources can include commercial vendors, other orchestras, colleges and universities. Asking the musicians who will play the instruments if they have a preferred source is the best first step. Start this process as soon as a program is confirmed on the schedule in case it might take several months to track down a source.

Some repertoire will require special auxiliary instruments for the musicians of the orchestra to play such as Wagner Tubas, bass oboe, alto flute/bass flute, bassett horns, bass trumpet, any number of percussion instruments, portative organ, concert organ, etc. It will be very important to identify if your orchestra owns or needs to rent/borrow instruments and where you will get the instruments from. Work closely with the stage crew if you are the one developing the plots so that they are accurate and to scale. Creating stage plots for every work in a program is essential in gaining an understanding about stage space. The biggest stage changes should be planned for during intermission as you will want to minimize adding to overall concert length. Differences in instrumentation within a concert program should be looked at closely in order to determine stage changes required during a performance. Maximum instrumentation of a program is a very useful tool in determining the space onstage required for a program. Instrumentation should be carefully considered in all pre-planning of a concert season. Instrumentation is the number one factor in an orchestral program that determines set-up needs onstage. What production needs does orchestral repertoire have? The Operations Manager, Personnel Manager and stage crew (lighting, audio and stage management) work together to satisfy the needs onstage for repertoire and musicians, while ensuring the performances will run smoothly and be in compliance with the work rules in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Concert production is one of the key responsibilities of the Orchestra Operations department.

Mcallen symphonic orchestra schedule