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Punk Rock Orchestra
-- John Gluck
View Spark segment on Punk Rock Orchestra. Original air date: February 2004. (Running Time: 1:21)
Mohawks and pink hair are not the usual hair-dos for classical musicians, but the Punk Rock Orchestra breaks many stereotypes. The 50+ member orchestra's musical taste is apparent from the other ensembles they have played with -- everything from the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera to The Dead Kennedys.
Lead by conductor John Gluck and his trusty toilet cleaning brush, the Punk Rock Orchestra plays songs from punk bands like Black Flag and the Sex Pistols on classical instruments. Craigslist brought them together in 2002, and since then the group has recorded an album and played at venues such as Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Herbst Theater. Spark caught up with them at one of their rare performances.
