where do the violins sit in an orchestra
String section The most common seating arrangement in the 2000s is with first violins, second violins, violas and cello sections arrayed clockwise around the conductor, with basses behind the cellos on the right.[1] The first violins are led by the concertmaster (leader in the UK); each of the other string sections also has a principal player (principal second violin, principal viola, principal cello and principal bass) who play the orchestral solos for the section, lead entrances and, in some cases, determine the bowings for the section (the concertmaster/leader may set the bowings for all strings, or just for the upper strings). The principal string players sit at the front of their section, closest to the conductor and on the row of performers which is closest to the audience.
Concerto A concerto (/kənˈtʃɛərtoʊ/; plural concertos, anglicised from the Italian concerti, which is also used in English) is a musical composition, whose characteristics have changed over time. In the 17th century, "sacred works for voices and orchestra were typically called concertos."[1] J. S. Bach "...was thus reflecting a long-standing tradition when he used the title 'concerto' for many of the works that we know as cantatas."[1] However, in recent centuries and up to the present, a concerto is a piece usually composed in three parts or movements, in which—usually—one solo instrument (for instance, a piano, violin, cello or flute) is accompanied by an orchestra or concert band.