Do Orchestras Really Need Conductors? : Deceptive Cadence : NPR
www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2012/11/27/165677915/do-orchestras-really-need-conductors
From the page
Saved with the link. Notes from 2007 to 2016 are mostly the page's own words, so this is probably an excerpt.
They seem important. After all, they're standing in the middle of the stage and waving their hands. But the musicians all have scores before them that tell them what to play. If you took the conductor away, could the orchestra manage on its own?