London Vegetable Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Cover versions |
| Instrument(s) | Carrot recorder, courgette trumpets, butternut squash trombones, pumpkin drums and aubergine castanets, amongst others |
| Years active | 2009-present |
| Website | londonvegetableorchestra |
The London Vegetable Orchestra is a British musical ensemble that fabricates and subsequently plays musical instruments made out of vegetables. [1] [2] [3] It is understood to be the only vegetable orchestra in the United Kingdom. [4]
The orchestra was founded circa 2009 by recorder-maker Tim Cranmore. Tim was challenged in a bet to carve a recorder from a carrot, which prompted the founding of the ensemble. [1] Many of the original members were students at the Royal Academy of Music. [4] As of 2016, members of the orchestra also included professional musicians with the London Symphony Orchestra or the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. [1] Like the Long Island Vegetable Orchestra, the group was inspired by The Vegetable Orchestra. [5] [6]
Instruments created and played by the group include courgette trumpets, butternut squash trombones, pumpkin drums and aubergine castanets. [1] Other vegetables played include bell peppers, potatoes and parsnips. [7] The group must use fresh vegetables, created on the day of performance, to ensure the best sound quality. [8] The group has performed on Countryfile, Russell Howard's Good News, [9] This Morning, [10] Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, [4] Room 101, [11] amongst others.
The group plays a wide range of music across genres, from "Greensleeves" to "Billie Jean" (punning on both names: 'Greens-leaves' and 'Billie Auber-jean'). [1]
In October 2024, the group performed 'The 'Farmonic' Orchestra' at The Other Palace Theatre in London, sponsored by Ginsters and raising money for The Trussell Trust. [12] In December 2024, a video of the group performing "Jingle Bells" on BBC Radio 3 went viral on Instagram. [13] The performance quickly gained over 11 million views. [4] In April 2025 the group performed at Windsor Castle and Charles III joined them for an impromptu performance of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" in which he played the carrot recorder. [7] [14] [15]
