# Concertmaster and section seating

Source: https://arcosounds.com/glossary/ensemble-seating
Also known as: concertmaster, principal, stand partner

**The concertmaster is the principal first violinist, who leads the string sections, decides bowings, and tunes the orchestra before the conductor appears.**

Each string section has a principal at the front desk who sets bowings for that section and plays any marked solo. The concertmaster sits at the front of the first violins and outranks the other principals, coordinating bowings across all the strings so the sections match visually and rhythmically.

Players sit two to a stand as stand partners, and the inside player conventionally turns the pages, one of the small, entirely practical conventions that lets an orchestra function. In a divisi passage, the outside player takes the upper part.

Canonical source: https://arcosounds.com/glossary/ensemble-seating