“I’m the only member of the orchestra making no sound at all!”

Every orchestra needs a conductor, and keeping the thirty something strong Royal Northern Sinfonia in check is Robert Ames, in what he is calling “a dream project”.

Robert, 39, is a contemporary conductor and composer who has previously arranged and conducted music for the likes of Taylor Swift, Little Simz and Self-Esteem.

“The hope is that even the biggest JADE fan in the world, who knows every detail of the music will be surprised, and delighted!” said Robert.

Those surprises will come as a result of Robert and other music arrangers painstakingly transcribing upwards of 30 different elements from a single JADE track (think drums, guitar, vocals, synth) and then rearranging them for the orchestra.

“The thing I always dreamt of being able to do”

With a smile on his face, Robert said “that’s where the fun, creative bit happens, you’re painting a picture with music really”. Though he did also say the best results come from hard work “it really is a case of going line by line, turning that into notation, and then turning all of that into an orchestral piece, it’s really time consuming”.

When working on a concert like this, blending classical with contemporary, Robert said there is a lot of fun in taking the traditional Italian and German language that sheet-reading musicians use, and translating that for artists who might not be used to it. But he was quick to point out that at the same time “someone like JADE will talk about pop music, in really expert ways and refer to stuff that isn’t typically in the classical discourse, so the translation goes both ways.”

Once everyone is happy speaking the different musical languages, Robert’s focus can turn to the big performance. He told us that before he steps out on to the stage he’ll take a moment to give thanks “for being able to do the thing I always dreamt of being able to do as a kid”.

As for what to expect from the concert Robert said “expect some surprises, and to hear JADE’s music like never before, and to see JADE do her thing which is absolutely amazing”.

And sneak preview – Robert hinted we might hear something unreleased from JADE’s album “but who knows, you’ll just need to tune in”. You didn’t hear that from him though – or us!