They should have been playing their final public concert of the year in June.
But the members of a University of Bristol student orchestra were so determined not to let the coronavirus put a stop to the show that they have turned the event into a “social distancing performance” and posted the amazing result on YouTube.
And they’ve even given the online performance of Leroy Andersons’ Bugler’s Holiday a “Stay at Home” theme.
The logistical nightmare involving more than 30 musicians was the brainchild of Enyi Okpara, one of the conductors in a student society called Bristol University Symphonia, which runs two student orchestras.
Enyi, a third-year Law student who has been conducting the audience for more than two years, told Bristol Live: “I sent everyone their parts and a click track and each performance was recorded separately by each musician.
“We were originally going to make it just music but then we decided to make it really complicated and add video, too.
“I then merged and synched all the sound and video tracks in editing software. Everyone’s timing was pretty spot-on.”
Third-year Music and Innovation student Dave Jones added to the fun with a little sketch involving a bugle’s staycation in lockdown.
Most of the students are not music students and, in normal times, fit rehearsals once a week around their studies.
Percussionist and saxophonist Enyi, originally from London but spending the lockdown in Bristol as he prepares for his final exams, added: “It shows that everyone can make music, irrespective of where they are.
“It was quite nice to add something new and different to the orchestral world that would put a smile on people's faces, especially during the crisis. It also keeps our players playing and practising.
"The reception we've received on Facebook has been amazing with a lot of lovely feedback from other amateur and student groups as well as friends and family members of people within the orchestra.
“We’d love to do it again.”
