The Google Orchestra – making music with my coworkers!

One of the unexpected pleasures of working at Google was the ability to make music with my coworkers. I’ve assisted the group since they were incarnated back in May 2016 and watched it grow from a small chamber orchestra with about 30 musicians, to a full fledged ensemble with over 65 performers. Here we are performing in the main conference hall at the Googleplex LINK. All of the players are badge carrying Google employees or contractors – no ringers!  Here’s a  photo from our May 4th, Star Wars outdoor concert. (As in “May the 4th be with you”!) We were profiled on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. During the pandemic, the orchestra was allowed to post performances on YouTube but had to change its name to “The Googler Orchestra”. The layoffs of January 2023 severely impacted the orchestra, and many players including myself were let go.

The Google Orchestra performs in the central courtyard of the Mountain View Headquarters.

Also here’s a nice recording of the Google Orchestra from our holiday concert. It includes the gWhip – a percussion instrument I made for the occasion.