A Little Orchestra is a London-based pop orchestra that forms in February 2010 and is active from 2010 onward. Led by Monster Bobby of The Pipettes, the group plays a mix of modern, minimalist classical pieces and original compositions, and also accompanies other bands.

Style and instrumentation

The group uses a chamber-style line-up and draws on instruments including violin, viola, bassoon, clarinet, flute, cello, piano and percussion. Its music sits across indie pop, orchestral pop and chamber pop, with a small-orchestra approach that allows it to move between self-contained performance and accompaniment work.

Collaborations and releases

Since forming, A Little Orchestra works with a number of indie-pop artists, including Darren Hayman, The Pipettes, Elizabeth from Allo Darlin’, Pocketbooks, Shirley Lee of Spearmint and The Loves. Its debut EP, Josefina, appears on Elefant Records and includes performances with Model Village, Simon Love, Gordon McIntyre of Ballboy and Darren Hayman. The release comes out on limited-edition chocolate-coloured vinyl.

Members

The group’s listed members are Alex Billig, Jill Faure, Claire Hadidjenar, Natalie Hudson, Helen Short and Matthew Walker. Earlier line-ups also include Bobby Barry, Catherine Carr, Nicola Burnett-Smith and Rosie French.