Ondioline Orchestra is an ensemble dedicated to preserving and extending the legacy of French inventor Georges Jenny’s remarkable electronic musical instrument, the Ondioline. Brought together by Wally De Backer (a budding Ondiolinist, but better-known as alternative pop artist Gotye), the group features leading thereminist keyboardist Rob Schwimmer, vintage synth specialist and ex-Psychedelic Furs member Joe McGinty, members of acclaimed alternative band Zammuto Sean Dixon on drums and Nick Oddy on guitar, and Jordan Scannella on upright and electric bass.
Ondioline Orchestra takes its name from a 1964 New York studio group that recorded just two numbers in a single three hour session, one song of which is the only known composition by Georges Jenny that survives in recorded form. The group is proud to perform with not one but two faithfully restored Ondiolines, a first since the 1950s when multiple Ondiolines were used in eclectic performance circumstances such as children's ensembles, cabaret performances and circus bands in France.
In 2016, Ondioline Orchestra premiered its first show, “A Tribute to Jean-Jacques Perrey” at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY just days after Perrey himself passed away. Perrey (1929-2016) was an alternative pop visionary, a pioneer of rhythmic tape editing techniques, the Moog modular synthesizer, and a virtuoso on the Ondioline. In this show, Perrey’s best-known songs are celebrated alongside ultra rare pieces co-written with celebrated collaborators such as Angelo Badalamenti, Gershon Kingsley and Billy Goldenberg in an eclectic set juxtaposing Perrey’s joyful and boisterous pop with more reflective work spanning three decades of his career. Ondioline Orchestra perform all sounds live, including Perrey’s signature sample sounds, classic Moog synthesizer patches, and a rich variety of Ondioline timbres on original instruments. The show is a rare opportunity for fans of early electronic pop music to celebrate this influential producer/performer’s wonderfully inventive studio work in a live environment.
The ensemble will continue to explore Ondioline-led instrumental pop songs, excavating material that features the Ondioline both as a lead instrument and as a featured supporting voice. Future projects will expand the ensemble's repertoire beyond Jean-Jacques Perrey's work to include material from other composers and performers, and potentially, original material.
Ondioline Orchestra has previously performed at:
National Sawdust, Brooklyn, NY
Moog Fest, Durham, NY
Sear Sound, New York, NY
Carriageworks, as part of Sydney Festival, Sydney, Australia
Albert Hall, as part of MONA FOMA Festival, Launceston, Australia
Roulette, Brooklyn, NY