Plastic Acid Orchestra is a modern full symphony orchestra that creates an exciting new musical experience by combining original Plastic Acid compositions, bold compositions from some of the most accomplished young Canadian composers and modern symphonic arrangements of popular music. Founded by Music Director, Bryan Deans, PAO brings a symphonic sound with a modern edge that tears down both genres and generations.
Since its first concert series in 2006, PAO has kept its repertoire open to collaborations with new Canadian composers to include exciting and innovative pieces such as Martin Reisle's (Maria in the Shower) Train of Pounding Hours, Jason Nett's (former resident composer Vancouver Island Symphony) Sol, Tungstein and Heavy Metals as well as arrangements of Plastic Acid originals such as Epic and Resources. In addition to this, PAO has performed arrangements of Soundgarden, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson as well as Led Zeppelin's Kashmir which was arranged and vocally performed by Mike Bell (The Living). Bryan hopes to take audiences on a musical experience that encompasses truly classical works such as Beethoven, Shostakovich and Dvořák while showcasing new, modern composers and revisiting contemporary hit songs. Deans' sometimes unorthodox programmes tear down genres, pushing audiences from innovative new classical to contemporary pieces full of guilty pleasures.
PAO has done many exciting performances in unusual venues -- nightclubs such as The Caprice and Venue where the audience was able to get close to the orchestra and yell and cheer more akin to a rock show. In one instance, PAO became "fully-electrified" where the performers were all amplified by pick-ups thanks in part to a sponsorship from Roland on the technical audio engineering. Performances have been accompanied by light and multi-media shows, burlesque dancers and fire-poi performances - providing a richer concert experience. PAO paired up with indie roots band Maria in the Shower in 2012 for a near sold out performance at the Vogue Theatre. The performance featured songs such as Train of Pounding Hours which repurposes chains, a sledgehammer and a cinder-block as percussive instruments -- both exciting to see and hear.
Plastic Acid Orchestra regularly performs full orchestra shows in Vancouver has performed with tours such as Video Games Live and Legend of Zelda. In 2015, PAO was the largest group to perform in the history of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival playing to an outdoor crowd of over 3000 people. In 2014, PAO performed at Performance Works with special guest Jay Malinowski (Bedouin Soundclash/The Deadcoast) and a Halloween show featuring full orchestra performances of Michael Jackson's Thriller and the soundtrack from Psycho. PAO regularly invites performers such as The End Tree, Maria in the Shower, Anita Eccleston, The Living, the Whiskeydicks and has featured many new works or arrangements from composers such as Giorgio Magnanensi, Elliot Vaughan, Martin Reisle, Mike Bell, Jim Hopson, Mariah Mennie and many others.
