PNB Orchestra

“Our orchestra is the very fabric of who we are as an institution. We cherish their contribution; they add immeasurably to the greatness of PNB.”
– PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal

Lauded as “the best ballet band in America” by The New York Times and other critics, the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra is an accomplished group of musicians led by the skilled baton of Emil de Cou. PNB’s artistic leaders have always prioritized live music as an integral part of the ballet artform and consider collaboration with the Orchestra to be a key pillar of PNB’s success. Today, The PNB Orchestra consists of nearly 60 musicians (many with a tenure of over 25 years) and regularly performs with the Company at McCaw Hall and on tour.

PNB has long been dedicated to live music; the Company’s first Nutcracker program credits the Pacific Northwest Dance Orchestra. However, the PNB Orchestra wasn’t officially founded until 1989, when a three-year contract with the International Guild of Symphony, Opera, and Ballet Musicians was signed. Former PNB President and CEO Arthur Jacobus’s vision then of “an ensemble of excellent musicians who are dedicated to performing for the ballet,” has truly been realized today.

Emil de Cou, Music Director/Principal Conductor

Emil de Cou has been Music Director and Principal Conductor at Pacific Northwest Ballet since 2011. He has conducted many of the nation’s major ballet and symphony orchestras, including American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, and the National Symphony Orchestra, where he was associate conductor. He is currently conductor of the NSO at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and also serves as a musical consultant for NASA.

*Founding members of PNB Orchestra (1989).

**25 plus years with PNB Orchestra.

The Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra is composed of musicians represented by the PNB Orchestra Players Organization.

Steinway & Sons is the official piano of PNB.

PNB Orchestra, Photos © Angela Sterling.