What is the difference between symphony, philharmonic and chamber orchestra?

There are practically no differences between symphonies and philharmonics: both perform in large auditoriums, have more than a hundred musicians and generally perform a repertoire of classical music. But in the past, the story was different. “A few years ago, it was said that a symphony orchestra was made up of paid professional musicians, while a philharmonic was made up only of amateur musicians, who got together for the pleasure of music”, says maestro Eduardo Ostergren, artistic director of the Symphony Orchestra of the Unicamp. Now, if we compare these two types with a chamber orchestra, some distinctions appear. The main one is size: a chamber orchestra is a much smaller ensemble and usually has, in most cases, between eight and 18 musicians. Below that, the set is already called septet, sextet, quintet and so on. All these formations perform the so-called “chamber music” – in this case, the word “chamber” is synonymous with “living room, bedroom or small room”. In other words, it is a type of erudite music for small spaces, performed by a few musicians. Another important difference is that, unlike symphonies and philharmonics, chamber orchestras do not usually have all types of instruments, such as string, wind and percussion. In fact, the most common thing is that they have only one type of them – if it is a string performance, for example, only violins, violas, basses and cellos should appear. Finally, it is worth remembering that although the symphony, philharmonic and chamber orchestras are mainly dedicated to classical music, there are several experiences of the great orchestras in pop music. One of the most famous examples is the Beatles’ partnership with a symphony orchestra in the recording of the electrifying hit «A Day in the Life», from the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, from 1967.