From time-to-time, there will be the occasional off-script moments at concerts - after all, we’re only human! As such, here is a compilation of musician mishaps, audience blunders and a feline appearance, all of which are being shared purely in jest to bring you a few giggles. To watch concerts online (without any big moments of failure!), check out Concert Roulette, which brings together over 1,000 videos from around the world. Just click ‘another!’ to skip to the next video.

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stravinsky jump scare

firebird suite, igor stravinsky

might have needed a few more warm-up exercises…

sheet music takes flight…

Tauno Marttinen's, Symphony No. 4

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how would you notate this…

talk about an imperfect cadence…

messiah, George Frideric handel

just needed a few extra seconds of breath…

I didn’t need it anyway…

Rococo Variations, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

phone duet during solo

rhapsody in blue, george gershwin

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finale may contain low flying objects…

purrrfect addition to the orchestra…

Matthew Elderton-Lewis Is an early-career composer who has been commissioned, performed, featured and workshopped by ensembles such as the Essex Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Phacelia Ensemble, Riot Ensemble, Chroma Ensemble, Trilogy Ensemble, The Choir of Royal Holloway, and Ligeti Quartet.

Receiving Second Prize for The Clements Prize for Composers 2025, he is determined to fight the ‘classical music’ stigma, offering a hand of reassurance to audiences who would otherwise be hesitant to discover new music.