An orchestra with inept players sold out the Royal Albert Hall

In nineteen seventy, composer Gavin Bryars and students at Portsmouth's School of Art formed the Portsmouth Sinfonia—an orchestra open to anyone regardless of musical ability. Trained musicians had to play instruments they'd never learned. Per Boing Boing, the ensemble achieved something remarkable: selling out the Royal Albert Hall, proof that sometimes heart and humor matter more than technical skill.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton