The Anatomy of the Orchestra

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A conductor stands in the centre of a large circle of musicians with his arms outstretched in front of him. He has short hair and a moustache and is wearing all white. The musicians are also all wearing white, and they are playing a variety of instruments including violins and violas. A large audience are interspersed amongst the performers. The room is dark and the performers are illuminated in hues of pink, with beams of white light spotlighting the conductor.

About The Anatomy of the Orchestra

Experience the orchestra from the inside out in The Anatomy of the Orchestra.

In this mesmerising piece, musicians are arrayed throughout the performance space, with a gentle invitation to walk, wheel, or sit amongst them as they perform. Dissolving the barrier between musician and audience, audiences are free to let their curiosity guide them and create their own sonic mix. 

Closer to a living installation than a traditional end-on performance, The Anatomy of the Orchestra can adapt to venues of any size, with three different iterations currently available for touring:

Upcoming dates

There currently aren’t any upcoming dates for The Anatomy of the Orchestra.

If you’re interested in booking it for your venue or event then we’d love to talk – get in touch with us.

Refractions and Abstractions

Exploring the centuries-old yet wild panache of Baroque composer JS Bach, and an abstracted, modern reimagining of ancient musical form by Dutch composer Louis Andriessen, with an ensemble of ten musicians.

 

Previous dates:

February 2020 - Moscow - The Garage (premiere)

Drone Refractions

Drone Refractions, a meditative version of the performance for 25 musicians exploring the majesty of drones through performances of Pauline Oliveros, Arvo Pärt, and a new commission by Paraorchestra member Rylan Gleave entitled Straylight.

 

Previous dates:

January 2024 - Bristol - Bristol Beacon (premiere)

January 2024 - London - Southbank Centre

The Four Sections

A large-scale presentation of the Anatomy format featuring over 50 musicians performing Steve Reich’s iconic piece of the same name. This version works brilliantly for a family audience.  

 

Previous dates:

April 2018 - Bristol - Bristol Beacon (premiere)

September 2019 - Croydon - Fairfield Halls

July 2021 - Birmingham - Birmingham Symphony Hall

February 2022 - Bristol - Bristol Beacon

Febuary 2022 - London - Southbank Centre

Watch the trailer for Drone Refractions

Listen to an audio-described version of this trailer

Truly, the future of music.

Phil Gibby, Arts Council England

Image gallery

  • Around a dozen Paraorhcstra musicians play piano and percussion on the floor a large atrium lit with sunlight. Surrounding them on the floor and looking on from above are around one hundred audience members.
  • A top-down view showing around a dozen Paraorchestra musicians playing percussion and piano. Audience members lean over to look down from staircases and mezzanines above.
  • A male trombone player with a beard, short hair, and medium dark skin tone performs in a brightly-lit atrium.
  • A french horn player with short grey hair and glasses wearing all-white performs in a bright atrium.
  • A pianist with short dark hair and medium light skin tone wearing a white polo shirt performs in a bright space with percussionists and audience members visible behind him.
  • A top-down view showing around a dozen Paraorchestra musicians playing percussion and piano. Audience members lean over to look down from staircases and mezzanines above.
  • A trio of cellists playing together
  • A man with dark skin wearing a white shirt and trousers is playing the tenor saxophone. He is standing on a raised platform while audience members surround him. The room is dark and the performer is illuminated in green hues.
  • A wide shot of a large concert hall, dramatically lit with green-white spotlights from a high ceiling. Musicians are dotted throughout the space on platforms as the audience walk amongst them.
  • A synth player with glasses, a beard and light skin tone wearing all white performs to a small audience

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