Sitz-ing

At the beginning of this week our music director, Charlotte Evans, held the first orchestra rehearsal so that the musicians could rehearse all the music before playing with the cast. Our orchestra is comprised of two violins, two reeds, and a trumpet player. The week ended with a sitzprobe. What is a sitzprobe?

Sitzprobe (n.) is a German term used in opera and musical theatre to describe a seated rehearsal—the literal translation of Sitzprobe—where the singers sing with the orchestra, focusing attention on integrating the two groups. It is often the first rehearsal where the orchestra and singers rehearse together. (Definition from Wikipedia)

That is exactly what happened: the orchestra played through the score of the show and the actors stood up when it was their turn to sing!