Band and orchestra seating chart generator

Arcs of chairs, sections where they belong, and a plan you can hand to the stage crew. Build the stage layout once and reuse it for every concert of the season.

Build a band seating chart Open the orchestra sections template

Build it here, on this page

Opens the Orchestra by section layout in the editor. Nothing is downloaded until you press the button.

Free, and no account needed.

Sections, not tables

An orchestra plan is a set of arcs radiating from the conductor: first violins on the left, second violins and violas next to them, cellos on the right, basses behind, then woodwind, brass and percussion at the back. A concert band is flatter and wider, with clarinets and flutes at the front and percussion along the back wall.

Start from the orchestra sections template and move the arcs to match your stage. A narrow school stage and a concert hall are different problems, and the template is only a starting point for either.

Arcs and rows of chairs, positioned freely on the stage
Sections named the way your ensemble names them
Percussion, harp and piano placed as separate pieces

Chair order matters, so pin it

Within a string section, seating is not decoration: it is chair order, and the principal sits at the front of the section, on the outside, nearest the audience. Pin the principals and section leaders to their chairs so no reassignment touches them, then let the rest of the section fill in.

For wind and brass, the same applies to first chairs. Everyone else can be assigned automatically and adjusted by hand.

Rehearsal seating is not concert seating

Rehearsal rooms are smaller, and a plan that works on stage often does not fit. Keep two charts: one for the rehearsal room and one for the venue, with the same players in both.

Because the player list is just a pasted list, copying it into a second layout takes seconds.

Print it for the crew and the subs

The people who need the chart most are the ones who were not at rehearsal: the stage crew setting chairs and stands on the day, and the substitute player who has never sat with this group.

Export the stage plot, print it, and pin it backstage. The free export carries a watermark. A 9 USD event pass removes it and keeps one chart saved for 12 months, which covers a season if the stage layout stays the same. A director who wants every ensemble saved as its own chart is better off on the 3.99 USD a month teacher subscription.

Reuse the layout every concert

Instrumentation changes between programs: a piece with four horns, a concert with no harp, a term with three new cellists. Save the stage layout once and change only the list, rather than redrawing chairs every time the program changes.

Questions people ask

What is the standard orchestra seating arrangement?

The common modern layout puts first violins to the conductor's left, then second violins and violas, cellos to the right, basses behind the cellos, woodwind in the center, and brass and percussion at the back. Many conductors vary it, notably by splitting the violins left and right.

How is a concert band laid out differently?

A concert band is arranged in wider, shallower arcs: flutes and clarinets front and center, saxophones and lower woodwind to the sides, brass behind them, and percussion across the back.

Can I use this for a jazz big band?

Yes. Place three rows of chairs for saxes, trombones and trumpets, and put the rhythm section where your stage allows. The layout is free-form, so nothing forces you into an orchestral shape.

Can I keep chair order when I reassign?

Yes. Pin the players whose chairs are fixed, and everything else is filled around them.

Is there a stage plot export?

Yes. The chart exports as a printable plan of the stage with every chair labeled. It is not a technical rider, and it does not include microphone or monitor placement.