Half of the chorus for the orchestra (5)
I believe the answer is:
halle
'orchestra' is the definition.
(The Halle is a UK orchestra)
'half of the chorus' is the wordplay.
'half of' suggests halving the letters.
'the chorus' becomes 'hallelujah' (Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah).
'hallelujah' with half the letters taken is 'HALLE'.
'for the' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for halle that I've seen before include "Manchester-based orchestra" , "Berry, possibly" , "Manchester orchestra founder" , "Noted players" , "Manchester's orchestra" .)