A concert orchestra that formed during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown by performing remotely over social media are set to take the stage this Christmas.

The Down for the Count Concert Orchestra kept people entertained during lockdown by recording their isolated performances which were edited together into quirky hilarious videos and then shared onto social media.

Now the orchestra are set to take the stage in a number of Christmas concerts including St George’s Hall in Liverpool on Wednesday, December 15.

“We didn’t know what to expect when we released our first lockdown video,” Mike Paul-Smith, the band’s artistic director, told the Globe.

“We wanted to keep spirits high and continue performing during the early days of the pandemic, so we all got dressed up and filmed ourselves playing Nat King Cole’s Let’s Face The Music and Dance in our living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms and bathtubs.

Wirral Globe:

“Then Sophie Poteratchi, who in addition to leading City String Ensemble also is a fantastic videographer, did a masterful job of collating everyone’s individual video clips into a joyful 3-minute film which got viewed around the world - including by a certain Michael Bublé!”

Viewed nearly 1,000,000 times across all social media platforms, the videos even resulted in a full-length album, Lockdown for the Count, raising funds for the charities Mind and Refuge. 

Now, after nearly two years, the orchestra is reforming in person to bring their touring Christmas show, Swing Into Christmas, where they will perform quintessential Christmas songs and classic tunes from the swing and big band eras.

The orchestra’s lead violinist, Sophie Poteratchi said: “This music really is the epitome of Christmas for us, and it is a pleasure to be touring so many beautiful and historical concert venues, sharing all of our musical holiday favourites with the new audience who discovered us over lockdown.”