Soli

Soli is the plural of solo — Italian for ‘alone’ in the singular, ‘alones’ (i.e., multiple soloists) in the plural. As a performance direction it indicates that a passage should be played by a designated group of soloists, more than one but fewer than the full ensemble.

In orchestral writing, soli often refers to a string section playing without doubling — for example, ‘solo first violins’ might mean only one player from the section, while ‘soli first violins’ would mean a small group of designated players from the section, not the full section.

The direction is more specific than tutti (full ensemble) or solo (one player). It allows composers to feature smaller chamber-like textures within a larger ensemble piece, creating moments of intimacy and detail that contrast with the full orchestral sound.

Italian, plural of solo (‘alone’), from Latin solus.

If you’re designated as soli, project. The passage is featured; your contribution should be audible against the rest of the ensemble. If you’re not designated, play more lightly or rest as marked.