I believe the most single difference between the two is the size. In many instances, a city, etc will board two groups usually made up of many of the same number. In the "old": days because of...
A symphony orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble which is basically made up of four groups of instruments: stringed, woodwind, brass and percussion.
A Chamber Orchestra is a very small orchestra, that only has strings. An Symphony Orchestra is a larger orchestra, and has wind players, and strings, but the majority are strings.
A symphony is a piece of music written for performance by a symphony orchestra. The composition is usually long in duration compared to other musical forms, and is typically divided into movements...