Chetham's School of Music

The 28-piece Down for the Count Concert Orchestra present “a sonic ride back to the sounds of Capitol Studios in the 1950s” (DownBeat Magazine) as they play timeless classics from The Great American Songbook.

Composers such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael and Irving Berlin transformed the art of popular song in the first half of the 20^th Century, providing the material that would spring artists such as Frank Sinatra, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Judy Garland and many more to international stardom.

The music of these great artists and composers will be bought to life by Down for the Count’s Concert Orchestra, featuring some of the UK’s top emerging musicians and arrangers under the baton of musical director Mike Paul-Smith. The orchestra preserve and protect the musical heritage of these unforgettable songs, whilst also looking to the future by presenting original arrangements of classic standards written by members of the orchestra.

Expect to hear hits such as I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Cole Porter/Frank Sinatra), Stardust (Hoagy Carmichael/Nat ‘King’ Cole), ‘S Wonderful (George Gershwin/Ella Fitzgerald) and many more in a joyful celebration of some of the best music of the 20^th Century.