World Largest String Ensemble under one Roof World Record set by String Jam 10

Usually, a string ensemble is just a small handful of people: a violinist or two, someone playing viola, a cellist, and maybe a bassist. But last night one string ensemble got a whole lot bigger! Almost four hundred string musicians from around the region gathered at the Juanita High School Field House in Kirkland in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record  for the largest string ensemble under one roof.  The record-setting attempt, called String Jam ‘10, included musicians ranging in age from 5 to 65 years old.

The group started with a classical string tune, Pachelbel’s Canon in D, and closed with a piece more fitting to their unique size: a string rendition of the guitar classic, Smoke on the Water.

The event was videotaped and monitored by over twenty designated observers who were posted throughout the performance area to ensure that all participants were actually playing. At the end of the program, the official witnesses announced that the attempt appeared to meet all the criteria required. However, the final confirmation from Guinness World Records is expected to take approximately six weeks.

Most of the members of the world-record string ensemble were public school orchestra students  who performed not only because they were excited about setting a world record, but  because they wanted  to send a message to school administrators about the importance of school orchestra programs.

String Jam ‘ 10 organizer Paula C. Ferguson, who is Orchestra Director at Redmond High School and Redmond Junior High School, conceived of the event to capture students’ imagination.

“Musicians today must be able to play much more than just classical music,” said Ferguson. “They must be able to play everything from Mozart to Celtic fiddle tunes to Coldplay, and they must play with passion and excellence. Having an opportunity like String Jam – to play in such a large group with musicians from all around the region – will be especially exciting for the youngest students who are just starting out.”

String Jam 10 -World Largest String Ensemble under one Roof
Guinness World Record 2010 Video