Repertoire

A repertoire is a stock of skills, abilities, or pieces that a person or group can perform or draw upon. It can also refer to a catalog of works that an artist or organization has prepared for presentation.

The term comes from French repertoire, meaning a list of works to be performed; historically it has encompassed both the literal catalog of pieces and the ability to perform them.

In music and performing arts, a performer's repertoire consists of the works they are prepared to perform, often organized by difficulty, style, or period. A company’s repertoire is the set of productions it can stage, and it may expand through commissions and acquisitions.

In biology, repertoire describes the diversity of antigen receptors in the immune system—the repertoire of B-cell and T-cell receptors. The immune repertoire measures how many distinct receptors can be produced; it grows with exposure and vaccination and is studied by sequencing.

In everyday language, repertoire can refer to a range of habitual behaviors or responses a person or animal uses in different situations. In professional contexts, organizations talk about expanding their repertoire of capabilities or tools.