Learn Turkish: Orkestra aniden telaşlandı. - The orchestra got flustered suddenly.

The root is the noun telaş, which means "hurry," "panic," or "flurry." By adding the state-acquisition suffix -lan (which changes to -len depending on vowel harmony), it becomes the verb telaşlanmak (to get flustered or to panic). Finally, the past tense suffix -dı makes it telaşlandı (got flustered).

Could I just say telaş oldu instead of using the -lan suffix here?

No, telaş olmak isn't a natural pairing in Turkish. While you can use olmak (to be/become) with many adjectives, telaş specifically pairs with the -lan suffix to express entering a state of panic or rush. You might sometimes hear telaş yapmak or telaş etmek (to act panicked), but telaşlanmak is the most natural way to express involuntarily acquiring this flustered state.

Wait, an orchestra is made of many people. Why does it take the singular verb telaşlandı instead of the plural telaşlandılar?

In Turkish, collective nouns that represent a group, like orkestra, aile (family), or takım (team), grammatically take singular verbs. You would only use the plural suffix if you wanted to emphasize the individual members acting separately, but for the group acting as a single unit, singular is the standard rule.

What is the literal breakdown of the adverb aniden?