Wooden Elephant
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Wooden Elephant are a contemporary classical string quintet who reimagine classic electronic-based albums, and present them as totally acoustic, long-form contemporary classical concert works.
Working alongside Germany’s genre-bending festival, PODIUM Esslingen, Wooden Elephant initially completed a 3-album series, comprising Björk’s Homogenic (2017), Radiohead's Kid A (2018), and Beyoncé's Lemonade (2019, complete with the poetry of Warsan Shire from the visual album).
Since then they have performed their albums at venues and festivals such as Verbier Festival, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Berlin Konzerthaus, Philharmonie de Paris’ Days Off Festival, London’s King’s Place, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and Beethovenfest Bonn. Their arrangements have been performed by Concertgebouw Orchestra and soundtracked by AppleTV+.
Collaborations include with Ballet am Rhein to create a ballet based around electronic artist SOPHIE’s album OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES; with Moor Mother and Beethoven Orchestra Bonn to create a symphonic version of Moor Mother’s Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes; and with prepared piano specialist Mathias Halvorsen to create a totally acoustic version of electronic legend Aphex Twin’s epic double album Drukqs.
A big inspiration for the ensemble and the arrangements came from Wooden Elephant violist and composer Ian Anderson’s work with the London Contemporary Orchestra. In 2014-15, the LCO collaborated with Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood on his contemporary string chamber music, culminating in a tour across Europe with him, and playing on Radiohead’s album, A Moon Shaped Pool. Along the way, Jonny continually experimented with sound production techniques, which included introducing unusual objects such as plectrums and pacay shakers. His constant questions of »what happens if you pluck it with this?» or »what happens if you hit it with that?« massively influenced Wooden Elephant’s album interpretations.
Future plans include a commission by Verbier Festival to rework one of Miles Davis’ countless groundbreaking albums, In a Silent Way, to mark the jazz legend’s centenary in July 2026.
As of March 2026
Working alongside Germany’s genre-bending festival, PODIUM Esslingen, Wooden Elephant initially completed a 3-album series, comprising Björk’s Homogenic (2017), Radiohead's Kid A (2018), and Beyoncé's Lemonade (2019, complete with the poetry of Warsan Shire from the visual album).
Since then they have performed their albums at venues and festivals such as Verbier Festival, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Berlin Konzerthaus, Philharmonie de Paris’ Days Off Festival, London’s King’s Place, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and Beethovenfest Bonn. Their arrangements have been performed by Concertgebouw Orchestra and soundtracked by AppleTV+.
Collaborations include with Ballet am Rhein to create a ballet based around electronic artist SOPHIE’s album OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES; with Moor Mother and Beethoven Orchestra Bonn to create a symphonic version of Moor Mother’s Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes; and with prepared piano specialist Mathias Halvorsen to create a totally acoustic version of electronic legend Aphex Twin’s epic double album Drukqs.
A big inspiration for the ensemble and the arrangements came from Wooden Elephant violist and composer Ian Anderson’s work with the London Contemporary Orchestra. In 2014-15, the LCO collaborated with Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood on his contemporary string chamber music, culminating in a tour across Europe with him, and playing on Radiohead’s album, A Moon Shaped Pool. Along the way, Jonny continually experimented with sound production techniques, which included introducing unusual objects such as plectrums and pacay shakers. His constant questions of »what happens if you pluck it with this?» or »what happens if you hit it with that?« massively influenced Wooden Elephant’s album interpretations.
Future plans include a commission by Verbier Festival to rework one of Miles Davis’ countless groundbreaking albums, In a Silent Way, to mark the jazz legend’s centenary in July 2026.
As of March 2026