Venezuela Holds The Guinness World Records For Largest Orchestra In The World

The largest orchestra in the world belongs to Venezuela, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The Venezuelan government announced on Saturday that the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras, also known as 'El Sistema,' has achieved a new Guinness World Record for the world's largest orchestra, with 8,573 musicians playing together.

More than 12,000 musicians performed a classical composition for more than five minutes last week in an attempt to beat a Russian record set two years earlier. In a speech carried on state television on Saturday, Venezuelan Information Minister Freddy Nanez and Russian Ambassador to Caracas Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov welcomed the performers.

The broadcast contained a tape of Susana Reyes, a Guinness World Records specialist, declaring that the Venezuelan musicians had set a new record after playing Pyotr Tchaikovsky's La Marche Slave for more than five minutes. During the presentation, President Nicolas Maduro displayed a certificate from Guinness World Records recognising that 'El Sistema' that had broken the record for the largest orchestra with 8,573 musicians.

The previous high-water mark was set by an orchestra of 8,097 musicians in St. Petersburg, Russia. Conditions necessitate that musicians perform in unison, with no players swapping in and out or lending their instruments to others.