The People’s Orchestra bosses their April Recording Day

It’s been nearly 2 months since The People’s Orchestra took to the Ruddock Performing Arts Centre in Edgbaston to professionally record 4 pieces they had been working on. 

Set amidst the backdrop of the elegant King Edwards VI High School for Girls, the Ruddock Performing Arts Centre is a beautiful auditorium perfectly suited for occasions like this – allowing TPO to produce stunning music to be enjoyed again and again through the medium of sound and video. 

It provided a marked departure from the usual big events put on each term. Rows of seats usually filled with the eyes and ears of the public were instead left empty, allowing the orchestra to master their craft away from the spotlight.

Read on to discover how TPO made the most of a unique day. 

The mid-April morning sun glinted on the night’s dew, which coated the primped and proper lawns of the school grounds. Magnolia trees blooming above, daffodils below, this was a definition Spring morning. Tranquil, calm, grounding even. 

But not for long.  

Cue the musical proceedings starting off with a bang – Michael Giacchino’s The Incredibles. Bold, brash, jazzy, this was the musical espresso shot needed to kickstart the most demanding of days. There was starting, stopping, lots of “can you just go from bar so and so”, but the end was a smashing take with the Alto Sax solo bossed by resident saxophonist Lucy. With its gnarly brass, galloping pace and even the occasional bongos, the piece served as a fitting early morning dichotomy to the graceful, majestic Ruddock auditorium. 

If you thought The Incredibles was a rude awakening, then Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven is a Place on Earth added a good portion of cheesy pop into this already unsavoury mix. An infectious earworm that circled round the heads of both musicians and admin staff alike for the next god knows how long, Heaven is a Place on Earth allowed the video team to get up close and personal, capturing the musicians bopping along, swaying their heads, and all round having a whale of a time. This piece was a group favourite, and rightly so. Loud, proud, and recognisable, the feel-good energy was buzzing – the orchestra were on form. As the team were at risk of being swept up in the tsunami of 1980s tinged cheesy-hit euphoria, it was time for lunch. 

The intermission provided a welcome respite – recording days are tough going, requiring intense concentration and stamina. It also provided an opportunity for the admin team to regroup, which included guest sound engineer Adrian. Manning the control booth with an impervious attention to detail and Stephen Fry-esque wit, Adrian was an invaluable presence throughout the day – a reminder of how lucky TPO is to work closely with such talented professionals.

“A great experience working with such a professional team” – Joanna, parent of Aman, Violin   

Sandwiches consumed, biscuits chomped, cups of tea drank, it was time to hit the stage again, where the threatening, brooding tones of Murray Gold’s I Am the Doctor awaited. As a part of the orchestra’s “nerd pad” (a collection of pieces that is always in folders), this is familiar turf for TPO, and several very assured takes followed. So successful were they, that what is quite a long piece was done and dusted relatively quickly. 

Which left the group with a question. What to do now? 

The answer lied in one of the pieces the orchestra had been working on for their summer Jukebox Live event – Alan Menken’s gorgeous A Whole New World, from the iconic 1992 animation Aladdin. If you know this piece, you will recognise it as a marked departure from the extroverted intensity of the previous 3 pieces in the lineup, and this presented some challenges. 

With a few players away during the recording day, questions about the fullness of the sound for such a sensitive and delicately scored piece were raised. “Would it work?” “Would we do it justice?” Yet the overarching consensus from conductor Saph, sound engineer Adrian and the musicians was “let’s give it a go!”. 

And give it a go they did. With the chiming of the Steinway piano solo ringing through the hall as the microphones powered up for one last piece, we had well and truly entered the endgame. Lush strings, warm woodwinds and twinkly percussion lulled all involved into a welcome reprieve from the intensity and boisterousness of the day up to this point. After all the concentration and hard work from the orchestra, this felt like a deep exhale. A deserved letting down of the hair from a group that had worked so hard.  

This was the right ending – for a piece that had doubts on whether it’d be suitable for recording, it was the piece that deserved to close off such an epic day. Not in rapturous applause and energy, but in understated sensitivity that made the most of the Ruddock’s stunning acoustic. 

And at about 5 in the afternoon, 8 hours since the mics were turned on for take 1, the day came to a close. Instruments were put back in cases, microphones packed away, timpani hurled back in the van. As the team left, a vivid, arching rainbow, resembling something plucked straight from a Disney animation, emerged over Edgbaston’s now glassy streets. Apt, to say the least. 

“I really enjoyed the experience, Lovely to have the whole day to make music together!” – Deb, Clarinet 

The moving parts involved in a day of intense focus and professionalism are numerous. In the lead up to the event, the instrumental team worked tirelessly to make sure the venue staff, the conductor, the sound engineer and the musicians were all, for want of a better term, singing (or playing) from the same hymn sheet. 

Microphone plans were shared, scores annotated with key moments to look out for, set up diagrams analysed, event notices communicated. On the morning itself, the team arrived at about 8 o’clock to unload, meet Adrian, set up the microphones, get the video cameras up and running and prepare the stage according to diagrams.  

Whilst the musicians were busy giving their all for each take, staff were busy taking various angles of footage, checking small chunks of audio with Adrian and making sure the day kept on track. It was busy, fast paced, and certainly tiring for all involved, but an immensely valuable experience for musicians and staff alike.  

These sorts of opportunities are usually reserved for the elite, professional orchestras of the world. Amateur orchestras seldom, if ever, get the chance to work with such a team of dedicated professionals in a world class environment. For this talented and hard-working group to have this opportunity is not only special, but the least they deserve. 

It’s been two months since, and yet the musicians still look back on the day immensely fondly. 

“It was a fantastic experience, and I can’t wait to listen to the finished recordings!” – Elliot, Piano 

The recording day was not your average event for this orchestra, yet the group came away safe in the knowledge that their hard work had culminated in 4 exceptional recordings that will be used on social media and distributed far and wide going forward. 4 takes that serve as a testament to how The People’s Orchestra is far from your standard amateur group.  

If you are interested in joining our friendly orchestra and participating in events such as these, or performing in big concerts, check out the website here to claim your 2 free sessions and join in on the fun.