The Virtuous Circle

The Clore Ballroom, Southbank Centre, London: Sun 29 Jun, 7:30pm

£11 – £15

A group of musicians and dancers stand in a circle, facing both inwards and outwards, all wearing white with a bright white splash of light beaming above them. An audience is visible in the background.

About The Virtuous Circle

Exploring the orchestra as the ultimate embodiment of teamwork, The Virtuous Circle recasts the classical concert as an extraordinary fusion of dance and orchestral performance.

Choreographed alongside six dancers, Paraorchestra perform Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 on the move - yet in perfect synchronicity. From within the beating heart of the performance you are invited to not only hear, but visually witness the extraordinary synergy of an orchestra in full flow. 

New compositions from Ivor Novello Award-winner Oliver Vibrans abstract the DNA of Mozart’s opus, delicately threading together the four iconic movements.

Upending orchestral conventions, the performance takes place on the floor rather than on a stage. An unseated performance, you have the freedom to wander the space, allowing your curiosity to inspire your experience. Every step you take will change your sonic picture. The intense drama of being on the inside of this symphony looking out, rather than on the outside looking in, is unprecedented. 

The Virtuous Circle premiered at Bristol Beacon for the BBC Proms in August 2024. 

This show could well set a precedent for the future of classical music performances worldwide.

Bristol 24/7

Watch the trailer

Listen to an audio-described version of this trailer

Image gallery

  • Paraorchestra musicians are pictured performing both on stage and in the standing area of the Bristol Beacon, as part of Paraorchestra's show The Virtuous Circle, while audience members are standing amongst them - immersed in the performance.
  • A large group of Paraorchestra musicians and dancers stand in the centre of a concert hall illuminated in blue light. An audience arranged in a large circle watch on from all sides.
  • Five Paraorchestra dancers surround conductor Charles Hazlewood, performing on the floor of the Bristol Beacon, as part of Paraorchestra show ‘The Virtuous Circle’. A group of audience members can be seen watching the performance intently. The performers are slightly blurred to create a sense of movement. The image is dark with the performers illuminated in vibrant yellow lighting.
  • A group of musicians and dancers stand in a circle, facing both inwards and outwards, all wearing white with a bright white splash of light beaming above them. An audience is visible in the background.
  • A dancer dressed in white has both hands in the air, mid dance move, and is in soft focus on a wooden floor with a dark green background. Some musicians are visible in the background.
  • group of Paraorchestra musicians and dancers are standing in a circle, facing both inwards and outwards. They are all wearing white with a warm orange light glowing above them, illuminating the performers in hues of red and orange. A large audience is visible in the foreground and background, intently watching the performance.
  • A viola player who is a wheelchair user is at the forefront, surrounded by other musicians and audience members. All of the musicians are wearing white and everyone is dimly lit with a red hue.

Credits

Creative team
  • Charles Hazlewood, a man with light skin and short hair wearing a black jumper and light blue jeans, is standing in the centre of a rehearsal space conducting four musicians who are surrounding him. He is focused and his right arm is raised in the air, motioning to the musicians. The rehearsal space is brightly lit.

    Charles Hazlewood

    Co-director

  • Kyla Goodey

    Co-director
  • A headshot of Oliver Vibrans, a young light-skinned man with a beard and moustache wearing a blue shirt and smiling

    Oliver Vibrans

    Composer

  • Tom Jackson Greaves

    Choreographer
Musicians

First Violin
Tzu-Fan Tang
Siobhan Clough
Douglas Harrison
Fra Rustumji
Alberto Vidal Borella

Second Violin
Marian Givens
Kath Roberts
Ruth Potts
Patrizia Lichtsheidl

Viola
George White
Tilly Chester
Takashi Kikuchi
Jordian Sian

Cello
Josh Mountford
Zosia Jagodzinska

Electric Cello
Drew Morgan

Double Bass
Patrick Phillip
Jack Cherry

Flute
Chloe Vincent

Oboe
Ben Marshall
Molly Sellors

Clarinet
Charlotte Bartley

Bassoon
Ashley Myall
Lauren Martin

French Horn
Isaac Shieh
Chris Griffiths

Electric Guitar
Robin Richards
James Girling

Trumpet
Adam Stockbridge

Synthesizer
Ross Hugh

Harp
Hannah Runting

Dancers

Faye Stoeser
KJ Clarke-Davis

More upcoming shows:

  1. A wide-frame drone shot of The Cow and Calf Rocks, Ilkley Moor in Yorkshire. The image shows hills, fields as well as the town of Ilkley in the didtance

    The Bradford Progress

    Bradford District:
    A collaboration between Paraorchestra, Charles Hazlewood, Jeremy Deller and the people of Bradford created for Bradford City of Culture 2025.
    More information (The Bradford Progress)
  2. Three musicians playing the cello on stage during a performance. They are sitting down and are reading sheet music from music stands placed in front of them. The stage is atmospherically lit with the performers illuminated by purple hues.

    Dance Like Nobody's Watching

    Venture down from the glittering concert halls of Vienna to an underground utopia of orchestral escapism.
    More information (Dance Like Nobody's Watching)