What is the Doctor Who Fan Orchestra?

The Doctor Who Fan Orchestra (the DWFO for short) is an online virtual orchestra and choir project for musical fans of Doctor Who. Through the magic of the internet, members play together remotely to perform music from the show.

How does it work?

Members receive sheet music and an audio guide for their instrumental or vocal part, and practice independently during the project window. They then listen to a provided "click track" while they perform and record their part, ensuring that the audio recordings can be synced later. There is also the option to record a video of their performance. These files are then submitted to us by a given deadline, and mixed together with everyone else's parts to create the final ensemble performance.

How long has it been going?

Stephen Willis founded the DWFO in 2011 when he put the call out for a group of fans to create a virtual performance of Murray Gold's "I Am The Doctor". Fellow Doctor Who fan Robin LaPasha joined as assistant co-ordinator. Between 2011-2016, the membership grew hugely and had to be capped at around 200 participants for each project. During that time, the DWFO completed ten separate projects which are still available to watch on YouTube.

The DWFO went on hiatus in 2016, but for 2026 we are coming back!