Guinness World Records to give verdict on Venezuelan orchestra’s record attempt

12,000 musicians gathered in an effort to establish a Guinness world record last week, performing Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave in Caracas, Venezuela. Their attempt is currently being verified, and Guinness are expected to give confirmation on whether they hold the new record for ‘world’s largest orchestra’ a week today (23 November).

The attempt, if successful, will beat the previous record set in September 2019 by Gazprom's Fund for Supporting Social Initiatives. This previous attempt saw 8,097 musicians (181 orchestras and 200 supporting choirs) performing the Russian National Anthem in St Petersburg, Russia.

The record attempt, made last Saturday (13 November) by Venezuela’s El Sistema music programme, included performers from across the country, ranging in age from 12 to 77, who gathered in the grounds of the Venezuelan Military Academy under the guidance of conductor Andres David Ascanio.

Ascanio whose directions were broadcast on a screen to be viewed by the assembled musicians, told his orchestra: ‘If you break a string, don't stop. If you lose the score, go on by heart, but don’t stop.’

Over 250 KPMG auditors witnessed the performance to make sure every musician complied with world record rules, including not sharing instruments and playing for at least five minutes each during the performance.