The Fantastic Fantasia Orchestra and Niamh O’Sullivan

Photo by Daniela Denyer Malo

The Fantasia Orchestra – from Mahler to Manhattan, has arrived in London this week in full force and will be touring the UK for the coming months. Directed by Tom Fetherstonhaugh, the Fantasia Orchestra takes the audience on an out-of-this-world journey that transports you from the city centre to every magical and fantastical setting you can imagine. For this special show, Niamh O’Sullivan, the Irish mezzo-soprano, joins the orchestra and manages to take the audience’s breath away from the very first note. 

Founded in 2016 by conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh, Fantasia Orchestra has rapidly established itself as one of the UK’s most exciting young ensembles, bringing together exceptional musicians through innovative programmes that seamlessly blend classical, jazz and contemporary genres. Its bold artistic vision has led to collaborations with leading soloists, a BBC Proms debut in 2024, and an expanding presence at major venues across the UK, including Snape Maltings, Smith Square Hall and Ronnie Scott’s. Fantasia Orchestra has quickly established a reputation for innovative programming that crosses stylistic boundaries. Rather than separating classical repertoire from popular song, the orchestra embraces their shared musical language, pairing composers such as Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss and Alma Mahler alongside Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and Stephen Sondheim.

Fantasia Orchestra’s latest programme brought together an ambitious blend of twentieth-century classical music, jazz standards, Broadway favourites and the Great American Songbook, reflecting the ensemble’s mission of placing seemingly different musical traditions in conversation with one another. The evening showcased specially commissioned arrangements by Harry Baker, allowing a chamber-sized orchestra to move seamlessly between Mahler, Strauss and Gershwin.

The programme itself reflected this philosophy. The first half travelled from the swing of ‘Take the “A” Train’ and Gershwin’s ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ through Kern’s ‘Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man’, before turning to the rich late-Romantic lyricism of Mahler and Strauss. After the interval, the concert returned to Broadway and jazz with favourites including ‘The Way You Look Tonight’, ‘I Get a Kick Out of You’, and ‘Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off’, interwoven with works by Richard Strauss and Edward Elgar. The result was an evening designed not simply as a recital of individual pieces, but as a conversation between genres, traditions and eras.

The evening also served as a launchpad for Fantasia Orchestra’s next season, with the ensemble unveiling its forthcoming programme of performances. Before the new season begins, the orchestra will perform again next month in Suffolk, continuing a busy schedule that reflects its growing reputation for imaginative programming and dynamic performances.

Photo by Daniela Denyer Malo

What ultimately distinguished the evening, however, was the palpable enthusiasm of the performers themselves. Fantasia Orchestra played with an infectious sense of commitment that extended beyond technical precision. During the interval, musicians could be seen embracing one another and chatting animatedly, while the same warmth returned after the final applause, highlighting that close-knit spirit that defines the ensemble. That camaraderie translated directly into the performance, creating an atmosphere that felt as heartfelt as it was polished.

Niamh O’Sullivan’s enjoyment of the repertoire was equally compelling. Beyond the richness of her mezzo-soprano voice, her genuine delight in the music was evident in the small, unguarded moments - most notably the way she instinctively bit her lip during passages she seemed to savour most. The audience responded in kind. Smiles were visible throughout the hall, and the applause frequently interrupted the programme as listeners erupted into sustained ovations before the concert had even concluded. 

By the final curtain, the standing appreciation felt entirely earned, bringing to a close an evening that demonstrated not only exceptional musicianship, but also the rare joy of performers and audience sharing in the same musical experience.

As the final notes faded into silence, it became clear that Fantasia Orchestra offers something far greater than technical excellence. For two hours, the audience was transported into a world where jazz melted effortlessly into late Romanticism, where Broadway sat comfortably beside Mahler, and where music became storytelling in its purest form. There was an almost fairytale quality to the evening – a rare ability to suspend reality and invite listeners into a place of wonder, nostalgia and imagination. That is Fantasia’s greatest talent: not simply performing music, but creating an experience so immersive that, for a little while, the outside world ceases to exist.

Fantasia Orchestra reminds us that the finest concerts are not those we merely hear, but those we carry with us long after the final applause has faded.

Buy tickets for their next show in Snape Maltings Concert Hall here.