Bell Orchestre was born in an old dance studio in central Montreal, Quebec. The music grew out of collective improvisations played alongside contemporary dancers. When the band parted ways with the dancers, the music continued to evolve and exude unique, intangible physical qualities. Their mostly instrumental compositions tap into the acoustic delicacy of chamber music, the urgency and volume of post punk and rock, and the intricacy and sonic range of contemporary electronic music. Often drawing comparisons to film music, perhaps this band is not so much creating the soundtracks to movies, but rather inventing a musical meeting place for a century"s worth of city ghosts, weather patterns and shifting architecture. The Bell Orchestre is made of strings, bells, horns, drums, stethoscopes, samples and quiet noise. Their live performances soothe, excite and soar.Bell Orchestre makes non-traditional music that tries to push boundaries, both those of the spectator and our own. The band often credits Estonian composer Arvo Pärt as one of their many influences. In reality, the ensembles music is shifting within intuition, drawing inspiration from the environmental sounds of the world. Bell Orchestre"s debut album, Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light, was released in 2005. The record garnered glowing reviews and was nominated for a Juno Award for "Best Instrumental Album". On March 10, 2009, Arts & Crafts will release their anticipated followup, As Seen Through Windows. The band intend to spend much of early 2009 on the road, enraputuring audiences with their dynamic, soaring performances. Bell Orchestre is: Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire) - upright bass /keyboard / percussion Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire) - violin Stefan Schneider (Jorane, Luyas) - drums / percussion Pietro Amato (Luyas) - French horn / electronics Kaveh Nabatian - trumpet / melodica Mike Feuerstack (snailhouse) - lap steel guitar