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An eclectic ensemble of musicians based in Plymouth (UK)Β
creating live music accompaniments to film, theatre, performance art, and other visual art formsΒ
WHAT'S ON:
WHAT'S ON:
TPO presents:Β Rose of NevadaΒ (15)Β
TPO presents:Β Rose of NevadaΒ (15)Β
film screening with LIVE SCORE
film screening with LIVE SCORE
The Pit Orchestra presents Mark Jenkin (Bait, Enys Men) & Dion Star LIVE, performing their score to Jenkin's exceptional new film Rose of Nevada
Sat 18 Jul 2026 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM
The House, PL4 8AA
Support from The Pit Orchestra, performing the score to Deadlake Films' haunting new short film The Creek
About Rose of Nevada
In this Cornwall-based maritime mystery drama, Jenkin again evokes the materiality of haunting through his use of 16mm film.Β
30 πππππ πππ, πππ πΉπππ ππ π΅ππππ π π ππππππππππ ππ πππ. π΅ππ, ππ πππ ππππππππ .
When a fishing boat, the Rose of Nevada, lost with all hands 30 years ago, mysteriously reappears in the old harbour of a forgotten Cornish village, for those who remember, itβs surely a sign. The boat must go out to sea again and maybe then the luck of the devastated village will turn. Young father Nick and enigmatic newcomer Liam join captain Murgey, and they head to sea. But when they return, satisfied with their haul, something is amiss β theyβve slipped back in time, and the villagers greet them as if they are the original crew.Β
About The Cornish Sound Unit
Having recently received the British Independent Film Award (BIFA) for Best Sound for Enys Men (2022), The Cornish Sound Unit developed through collaborative practice sessions between the duo, and sees them stationed at a table, armed with cue sheets and surrounded by tape loops, analogue synths and field recordings as the film plays on the big screen behind them.Β Β
Due to the analogue nature of the equipment, the number of variables of the arrangement and the likeness of the tape loop to a βwild animalβ, no two performances of the score are the same. It is this rawness that permeates each live set, allowing audiences to experience the disquiet of the film in a potent new way.Β Β
The Creek
The Creek
Performed by The Pit Orchestra, the new short film from Deadlake Films
About Deadlake Films
Formed in 2024, this collaboration between artist Katy Richardson and filmmaker, musician and writer Chris Muirhead is a formalisation of a much longer working partnership. Together they make films and other visual materials which explore the folklore and history in their local Plymouth area, telling stories and evoking imaginal spaces which question power structures and the conflict these structures cause inside the characters they create.
What We Do
What We Do
The Pit Orchestra (TPO) is a freely evolving ensemble of trained and untrained musicians, metamorphosing with each performance, mixing classical and modern instruments. We write original scores, soundtracks and musical accompaniments, in collaboration with filmmakers and artists, inspired by a wide variety of musical genres including rock, folk, electro, jazz, ambient and classical.
TPO formed in 2013 (as The Imperfect Orchestra) and has consistently maintained principles of collaboration, artistic expression, performance, diversity, inclusivity and, perhaps most importantly, celebration of the amateur. These principles were born out of our association with the Plymouth-based film collective Imperfect Cinema, from which The Imperfect Orchestra originated.
Beginnings
Beginnings
The Pit Orchestra was born out of the friendships and creative relationships of a group of friends in Plymouth, writing and practicing in their local live music venue The White Rabbit.Β
The Imperfect Era
The Imperfect Era
Home (2013), Tamar (2015) & Secrets of the Universe (2017), with filmmaker and co-founder of Imperfect Cinema, Dr Allister Gall.Β
Commissions
Commissions
Relic (2016) in collaboration with artist Katy Richardson.
Battleship Potemkin (1925/2017) commissioned by Peninsula Arts in collaboration with the BFI.
Metamorphosis (2018) for which TPO co-founder Chris Muirhead made his first film.Β
Beyond The Screen
Beyond The Screen
Immersive Orchestra // Plymphony No.1 in Sea (2018) in collaboration with artist Shannon Watson and a group of wild swimmers.
Artistic Research Will Eat Itself (2018), a performance for an academic arts conference.
319 Yokota (2019), a memorial to the late Susumu Yokota held at London's esteemed Union Chapel.
The Unattended Moment (2019), Diniwe and the Hadedas's multimedia production at The Theatre Royal, Plymouth.
What's on
What's on
Battleship Potemkin 2025
We have just finished recording and performing Battleship Potemkin 2025.
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For one night only on 13 December, Plymouth Universityβs The House performing arts centre journeyedΒ audiences to a Russian Imperial Navy battleship on the Black Sea when a mutinous uprising by the ship's crew against their ruthless officers, sparked by spoiled meat, becomes a violent clash and one of the most famous closing scenes in cinema history.
Manifesto
Manifesto
TPO's compositions always contain a large element of collaboration between the players and embellishment through collective involvement and jams. Beginning by discussing themes and style, the music takes shape often in abstract and unusual forms, before writing and recording sessions in the rehearsal room help to shape it into the finished 'imperfect' score. The Pit Orchestra members generally do not have a traditional education in music and generally come from predominantly punk and alternative music backgrounds which gives their compositions and performances the energy and style for which they are becoming known and respected.
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Contact Us
Contact Us
Contact the.pit.orchestra@gmail.com to get more information about us
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