Origins Charles Hazlewood was inspired by his youngest daughter Eliza to form the Paraorchestra; Eliza has
cerebral palsy, but Hazlewood believed that she was still an "outstanding" singer. Being the father of a child with a disability, he realized that throughout his career as an orchestral conductor, he had seen few disabled performers as members of orchestras. Hazlewood felt that since music is "universal", an orchestra should represent all members of a communitycomparing this ordeal to the time when only men performed in orchestras. He felt that an orchestra consisting only of disabled performers could spread awareness of this issue and help achieve greater
integration for disabled people in music and the performing arts.
Formation Hazlewood officially announced the formation of the Paraorchestra in July 2011 at a
TED conference in
Edinburgh.
Involvement with the Paralympics In 2012, Hazlewood campaigned for the Paraorchestra to be included in the ceremonies of the
2012 Summer Paralympics in London. He felt that their inclusion in this international event would be a unique opportunity for the Paraorchestra and that it could also raise awareness of his cause. The Paraorchestra was awarded a
Big Society Award in September 2013. In 2022 they collaborated with the Irish composer
Hannah Peel and that resulted in an album titled:
The Unfolding, featuring the soprano
Victoria Otuwari. == Members ==