1.   Although the virtual orchestra is a relatively new technology, it follows in the footsteps of synthesizers and electronic instruments that are now widely accepted in orchestra pits.

2.   As in pop music, the virtual orchestra may creep into the field.

3.   A virtual orchestra could be brought to life on a home computer.

4.   But Bianchi said producers approached him and Smith about two weeks ago to provide a virtual orchestra for the show.

5.   In fact, Bianchi said his virtual orchestras have never received a bad review.

6.   In an orchestra pit, a virtual orchestra would look like a black box in a rack, with wires leading to other equipment.

7.   Leighton maintains that, by using a virtual orchestra, his company can focus on developing a close ensemble of singing actors.

8.   Leighton is quick to compare his use of a virtual orchestra favorably to the occasional use by many ballet companies of recordings in place of live musicians.

9.   No doubt many opera fans and critics will be appalled by the very idea of a virtual orchestra and dismayed by its oddly processed sound.

10.   The producers did not tell the union if they would use a recording or a virtual orchestra, he said.