The moment Jacob Collier took the mic, the Kennedy Center buzzed with anticipation—what followed was pure magic. Standing before the National Symphony Orchestra, Collier, grinning like a kid in a candy store, launched into an improvised vocal symphony, weaving lush harmonies with nothing but his loop pedal and that otherworldly voice. The orchestra, initially wide-eyed, quickly became co-conspirators, their strings and brass swelling beneath his cascading layers of melody.
Collier’s hands danced mid-air as he sculpted sound—clicking his tongue for percussion, scat-singing jazz runs, then dropping into a bassline so deep the cellists gasped. The crowd erupted as he stacked dissonant chords, resolving them with a wink, before conducting the orchestra in a spontaneous, soaring climax. Even the conductor smirked, surrendering to the chaos.
In just five minutes, Collier turned a grand hall into his playground, proving—yet again—that he’s a one-man musical Big Bang.
Ben Folds’ live composition for orchestra in just 10 minutes is a stunning display of creativity and musical mastery. This took place at the Kennedy Center, where Folds served as the first Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO). The event was interactive—audience members helped choose the key (A minor), tempo (upbeat), and even the lyrics, based on a random sentence: “These new spaces are all designed to be flexible.”
With help from conductor Edwin Outwater, Folds quickly built melodies and harmonies, directing each section of the orchestra in real-time. The orchestra performed the completed piece just minutes later, earning loud applause and online praise.
The video of this improvised composition has since gone viral, highlighting Folds’ talent for blending classical and pop music in a fresh, engaging way