Live music with movies is what the James Whale Orchestra does. Our audiences have repeatedly told us that we create a uniquely immersive movie experience, and that we are simply the best at what we do. Whether it be with our own specially composed and syncronized soundtracks, or iconic soundtracks from Yann Tiersen to Max Steiner, we turn a great movie into an unforgettable experience, with the very best musicians.
JWO Modern Masterpieces
Modern classics – like the movie Amelie – are the films we grew up with and that we return to again and again. Their music is the soundtrack to our lives, their images are iconic, and they have gone beyond just entertainment to become part of our culture.
The JWO takes the soundtracks that other orchestras can’t play, and brings them to the stage to bring your past back to life.
JWO 1920’s and 1930’s Golden Age of Hollywood Classics
We keep making new movies, but there are a lot of really fantastic classic movies out there that you will probably never get the chance to see, let alone with a live soundtrack. Many people are starting to rediscover the beautiful and elegant cinema of the Golden Age of Hollywood, when stars like Greta Garbo graced the silver screen, and AlfredHitchcock was the hottest young director in town. The JWO takes select cinematic masterpieces from the 1920’s and 1930’s and brings them back to life with stunning soundtracks.
The Orchestra
The James Whale Orchestra is Oliver Parr (Artistic Director, Composer) Panayiotis Ioannou (Technical Director, Music Producer) and Thomas Geerts (Conductor, Fund Applicant and Creative Partner)
Oliver Parr (Artistic Director, Composer) was born in the U.K. and studied cello in Manchester with Eduardo Vassallo, in Paris with Radu Aldulescu and at the Musikhochschule Detmold with Karine Georgian. Since 2000 Oliver has been the solocellist of the Remix Ensemble Casa da Musica with whom he has performed at most of Europe’s major festivals and concert venues, including Wien Modern, Milano Settembre, Berlin Marz Muziek, Strasbourg Musica and Donaueschingen. He has worked and collaborated with many leading artistic figures including Heinz Holliger, Sir Harrison Birtwhistle, Jonathan Harvey, Magnus Lindberg, Peter Eotvos and Luca Francesconi.
Oliver is also currently solo cellist of the Sinfonia Rotterdam chamber orchestra, and has appeared as solo cellist with ASKO Schoenberg, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Holland Symfonia, Het Ballet Orkest, Postland and Insomnio Ensembles.
As a composer Oliver has written for orchestra, ensemble, quartet, and solo instruments, and is the founder and artistic leader of the James Whale Orchestra, for whom he has composed original soundtracks to be performed live with films including James Whale’s ‘Frankenstein’, F.W. Murnau’s ‘City Girl’, a reconstruction of Max Steiner’s original score to ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ for the Amsterdam Brass Quintet and the first ever orchestra version of Yann Tiersen’s score for ‘Amelie’. He is currently working on an original soundtrack that combines live jazz with A.I. for Harold Lloyds 1923 ‘Safety Last’ which will be performed at Muziekgebouw aan het Ij in 2025-26, and the first live in concert version of the movie ‘Farinelli’.
His live score for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1929 ‘Blackmail’, created for the Postland Ensemble, received its premiere at the Leiden International Film Festival 2022 to great acclaim, and has since been performed at more than twenty venues throughout the Netherlands including EYE Amsterdam, Vlissingen and Leiden Film Festivals, and Lantaren Venster Rotterdam. At the 2023 Noordelijk Film Festival the public voted ‘Blackmail’ best of festival. The live recording is available on Spotify.
Technical Director • Music Producer • Audio Restoration Specialist
Panayiotis Ioannou is a music producer and technical director known for blending cutting-edge technology with modern film music performance. His career began in Los Angeles, where he studied computer science and discovered digital music while DJing, later training in production and mixing at Point Blank Electronic Music School.
In 2003, he founded his own production company, creating music and sound design for global brands including Mercedes, Xerox, Toyota, and Huawei.
Since 2017, Panayiotis has served as Technical Director and Music Producer for the James Whale Orchestra, joining Oliver for the inaugural performance of The JWO. His work integrates advanced virtual instruments with live orchestral players, helping define the orchestra’s innovative hybrid sound.
His recent achievement in AI-driven audio restoration—successfully isolating the dialogue of The Most Dangerous Game(1932)—enabled the film to be presented with a live orchestral score for the first time in its 90-year history.
Panayiotis continues to push the boundaries of music production, sound design, and restoration, exploring new possibilities at the intersection of technology and storytelling.
Thomas Geerts (Conductor, Fund Applicant and Creative Partner) is the newest artistic force to join the JWO. Trained in both conducting and trumpet at the Conservatories of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Thomas quickly distinguished himself as a versatile and forward-thinking musician. He co-founded the Amsterdam Brass Quintet and after his graduation he launched a dynamic career that spans conducting, performing, composing and artistic development.
As a composer and arranger, Thomas has contributed to a wide range of innovative music theatre productions that have toured internationally, with performances in the Netherlands, France, Spain and Portugal. His work is characterized by a deep commitment to storytelling through music, as well as a passion for creating transformative artistic experiences. In addition to his creative ventures, Thomas is actively involved in developing new artistic collaborations and securing cultural funding for ambitious musical projects.
In April–May 2026, Thomas will conduct the highly anticipated second Dutch JWO-tour of “Amélie live in Concert”, which will be presented in some of the Netherlands’ most prestigious concert halls, including Phil Haarlem, Oosterpoort Groningen and Muziekcentrum Eindhoven, marking a significant highlight in the upcoming season.