39 The Broken Orchestra

The Broken Orchestra is a UK-based creative collective, founded by musicians and producers Pat Dooner and Carl Conway-Davis in Hull around 2010. Originally an experimental studio project, it has evolved into a multidisciplinary ensemble creating ambient soundscapes, soundtracks, audio walking tours, sci-fi dramas, and live performances. 

In 2019 The Broken Orchestra worked with Freedom Festival and Arts Council England to create a sound walk along an underused area of the River Hull – ‘between bridges’. It was a combination of technology, music, found sounds and used the beautiful unique landscape of the River Hull as inspiration. The Broken Orchestra collaborated with poet Vicky Foster who interpreted the musical pieces while being inspired by the accompanying landscape and created a beautiful spoken word narrative. The GPS tracked audio walk allowed people to walk the route with a device and headphones and get lost in the soundscape and the space around them. It was a meditative journey that allowed people to think differently about an area of the city that had been ignored for many years. 

The concept was resurrected for Freedom Festival in 2024 and Hull City Council’s Collider Festival in 2025, albeit following a different route, and heavily leaned on Hull’s Maritime history. Fair Winds and Following Seas.

In 2023 The Broken Orchestra worked with Hull Jazz Festival, Hull City Council and Freedom Festival on an immersive spatial sound audio performance. A beautifully subtle and meditative live performance composed by The Broken Orchestra featuring poetry and spoken word from Vicky Foster, additional vocals from Sarah Johns with live instrumentation from Tom Kay (Guitar), Steph Halsey (Harp), Gary Hammond (Percussion).

‘Riparian’ explored our connection to living alongside water and the multifaceted historical lives we have led.

This intimate improvised live performance also featured an accompanying film projection and imagery and was presented in spatial sound when performed in Hull’s Ferens Art Gallery as part of Hull’s Awakening Festival in 2023.

RE:SCORE shines a light on forgotten archive film footage while showcasing new work from a diverse collective of independent musical artists.

Commissioned by Freedom Festival Arts Trust and originally presented at The Awakening March 2022, its initial concept was to connect the past, present and future together as part of an outdoor cinema experience. Using some of Hull’s beautiful buildings, in particular the staithes that run alongside the River Hull, down High Street, as a backdrop to project onto, RE:SCORE allowed the audience to connect these spaces with warm, nostalgic footage from the past alongside a brand new bespoke musical soundtrack.

Produced by The Broken Orchestra and in association with British Film Institute, Film Hub North and Yorkshire Film Archive, RE:SCORE is the coming together of a diverse range of musical artists, to create original compositions that sit alongside culturally important archive films. What is achieved can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, part of a larger collection or be displayed and projected as part of a festival, commission or larger event for a truly unique, romantic and sentimental experience for the audience. Although not specifically a river based project many of the films featured scenes of Hull’s Maritime past, particularly the films featuring folk artist Katie Spencer and the band LIFE.

For more information about all projects by The Broken Orchestra go to https://www.thebrokenorchestra.com/

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