What is a Parabolic Orchestra?

playing the bowls in morning mist

An ensemble of ceramic singing bowls!

Parabolic Orchestra is an orchestra of bowls rather than of musicians, each bowl being an instrument in itself with it's own character and particular voice. The bowl ensemble offers many possibilities in combining different moods and qualities of sound.

In 2015 a group of friends started getting together regularly to try and invent techniques and elaborate a repertoire to play an instrument that no one had ever heard of before.

The bowls only sing after they've been fired.

The sound produced by the bowls is the result of many different elements, among them is a particular combination of clay and glaze. The black glaze being of particular importance. The shape forms the voice of the bowl, the dimensions, depth, diameter and also the thickness are what will determine the pitch or frequency. The actual note is only revealed once the bowl is fired. At that point nothing more can be altered.

hands playing bowls

Since then Parabolic Orchestra has evovled and changed as any living thing and developed a sound somewhere between meditative jazz and contemporary improvisation and sometimes gives concerts in unique architectural or natural environments.

listen on soundcloud
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