Billy Elliot The Musical - Instrumentation

Instrumentation

The instrumentation for Billy Elliot requires a large orchestra. The original Broadway production had seventeen musicians. The Broadway orchestra required two keyboards, bass, drums, percussion, guitar, four woodwind players, three trumpets, two horns, and two trombones. Almost all players double on two or more instruments. The keyboards double on synthesizer, guitar on variax, and bass with fretless bass. The trumpets double on cornet and flugelhorn while the second trumpet part also doubles on E-flat cornet. The trombones double on euphonium. The horns also double on tenor horn. The woodwind doublings vary depending the venue. In the original West End production there was a single woodwind player that doubled on piccolo, flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon. The Broadway production had four woodwind players. The first doubled on piccolo, flute, clarinet, and alto sax. The second on flute, clarinet, and alto sax. The third on clarinet and soprano and tenor sax. The fourth on clarinet, bass clarinet, and tenor sax. The Chicago production had the same doublings from Broadway but omitted the fourth woodwind part. The tour version has two woodwind players. The first doubles on flute and soprano and tenor sax. The second on clarinet and alto sax.