Aurora invites audiences inside the orchestra at Drumsheds

Drumsheds, London: Thursday 17 October, 6pm & 8:30pm

This October, Aurora Orchestra, the Southbank Centre and recently-launched Tottenham music venue Drumsheds join forces to reimagine the possibilities of orchestral performance, with special immersive performances of one of classical music’s most recognisable works – Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird.

Following the success of previous experimental immersive shows at Printworks in 2021 and 2023, Aurora’s latest project will present a revelatory way for listeners to experience the dazzling sound world of Stravinsky’s monumental ballet score: from physically within the orchestra in the vast industrial warehouse space of London’s most exciting new venue Drumsheds. An audience of up to 2,000 per show will experience Stravinsky’s score from the inside, standing (and free to explore) amongst the players of Aurora Orchestra as they perform from memory to evoke the composer’s visions of dancing monsters, evil sorcerers and seductive dancers.

In 2014 Aurora became the first orchestra in history to present an entire symphony from memory, and since then, it has continued to harness the remarkable new creative possibilities opened up by this intensely communicative style of musical performance. With the orchestra ‘exploded’ across Drumsheds, listeners will experience Stravinsky’s Firebird and Ravel’s much-loved Boléro from the inside, getting up close to instrumentalists as they perform in ways that would be impossible in a concert hall. For experienced concertgoers and classical newcomers alike, this event will offer the chance to experience these works in a completely new way.

The event is co-promoted by Broadwick (operators of Drumsheds), Southbank Centre and Aurora as part of a shared initiative to building wider audiences for classical music. The day before the public performance, there will be a special show for local schools – welcoming hundreds of secondary school-aged children to experience the production. The project is supported by funders including Cockayne – Grants for the Arts and the Southbank Centre’s Orchestra Development Fund, and features sound reinforcement from Southby Productions.

Aurora will also tour The Firebird to venues including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre (Wednesday 23 October) and Snape Maltings (Friday 25 October), Tonhalle Zurich (Monday 28 October), Victoria Concert Hall Geneva (Tuesday 29 October) and Grand Casino Bern (Wednesday 30 October) in a concert hall version that sees the work deconstructed and reassembled with the help of broadcaster Tom Service, offering audiences a deep-dive into the story and musical make-up of the work, before a full performance by memory.

Nicholas Collon, Principal Conductor of Aurora Orchestra, says: “As musicians we know that there’s nothing like the visceral thrill you get from experiencing an orchestral masterpiece from inside the orchestra. But rarely if ever do we get a chance to share this thrill with audiences – in the concert hall listeners are inevitably placed at a distance, and there’s no opportunity to get really close to the players and their instruments. For these special events we’ll harness the potential of an orchestra performing from memory, the awe-inspiring surroundings of Drumsheds, and cutting edge sound amplification technology to give listeners a genuinely immersive experience of an orchestral performance, where they can experience the music from within. We can’t wait!”

Inside the Orchestra at Drumsheds takes place on Thursday 17 October at 6pm & 8:30pm with tickets costing £29.50 plus booking fee. For more information and to book tickets visit https://www.auroraorchestra.com/event/inside-the-orchestra/