Nonclassical's Street Orchestra of London Was Inspired by Amsterdam Ricciotti Ensemble

Who says that orchestras belong in the pit, or even on stage? Let's let them outside for a bit! In London (a city well-known for it's active street-side performance atmosphere, the gears are in motion to allow a brand new crowd-sourced, crowd-comprised orchestra to roam the streets of London and set up shop at various public squares throughout the summer. The goal of the orchestra, according to CMuse, is to "bring classical music to everyone". The new Street Orchestra of London, a project of the Nonclassical label, was inspired by the Amsterdam Ricciotti Ensemble, whose former director now works with Nonclassical.

The ambitious plan for the operation of the Street Orchestra of London is that, upon arriving at a new outdoor performance "non-venue", they will allow themselves only three minutes of set-up time so they can spring into action and begin spreading music to passers-by. Dressed in nondescript everyday clothes, orchestra players expect to play music from a variety of styles. SOL's website lists possibilities as everything from baroque to contemporary, from jazz to world music, and from bluegrass to heavy metal.

The idea for the street orchestra came from the Amsterdam Ricciotti Ensemble, which for 45 years has been playing the streets of Amsterdam, as well as hospitals and prisons. The slogan for the Street Orchestra of London, which is very much in line with the spirit of the Ricciotti Ensemble, goes simply, "Music for Everyone, Anywhere."

The orchestra's website also advertises SOL as an outlet for expanding young musicians' "cultural landscape", taking them to places they otherwise might never go as a traditional session musician. Applications for joining the orchestra were accepted as far as January 22nd; now, it's a waiting game as the orchestra organizes, practices, and preps for events beginning this summer.

Below, you can witness the adventures of the Riccioti Ensemble back in 2008 while waiting for SOL events to begin in June.