North Sea Radio Orchestra is a unique chamber group who perform music of beauty and originality that has, at its heart, lyricism and melodic richness. Featuring wind, strings, percussion, guitars, organs and voices, theirs is a world in which melody and harmony abound.
Here's how it all began...
In the October of 2002, composer and guitarist Craig Fortnam found himself walking through the City of London with a sackful of tunes slung over his shoulder; tied to a stick (Dick Whittington style). Now, as all music comes from the air, the sack was all that stopped Craig's tunes from escaping and following the Thames out to sea. Needing a substance with the weight of history behind it, Craig bent down and began to scoop up handfuls of London clay, folding and kneeding it into the melodies and chords from his sack. As this was such hard work, he got his wife, Sharron, to help. As she folded and kneeded, she began to sing, so her beautiful voice found it's way into the expanding mixture.
When the music was almost ready, Craig called together twenty musicians and singers (North Sea Chorus) from all over the Metropolis and they all ducked into St. Martin's-within-Ludgate where the North Sea Radio Orchestra was born. As the clay music was still wet, and therefore somewhat fragile, the NSRO only performed in the City of London for the first while. So, their growing audience had to travel to the strange and magical streets of old Londinium to hear the beautiful sounds.
Finally, the music was ready and the NSRO ventured forth into the wider world where they have attracted many glowing reviews for their live and recorded performances. Their first release, 'The Flower' (oof!records 7" single) has been broadcast on BBC Radio 1, 2, 3 and 6music. They have been regular favorites on the Chiller Cabinet on Chill FM and have featured in many regional stations' playlists. The success of the single can be attrubuted to the truly unique sound of the NSRO - an alliance of various influences and elements: Benjamin Britten, Vernon Elliot, Incredible String Band, London Clay, Vaughan Williams, Water from the Thames and shingle from Bankside.
In October 2006, NSRO released their debut self-titled album (oof006) to sparkling reviews in print and online media from the world's music press.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN THE NSRO MAILING LIST? Send a message to: [email protected] edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
