Jacob Collier walks onstage to conduct an orchestra … but none of the musicians know what song they’re about to play. In a joyful experiment in live music-making, Collier pieces together an iconic song with the VSO School of Music Orchestra (and a little help from the audience in the TED Theater). Turns out, all you need is some improvisational magic. (Recorded at TED2026 on April 16, 2026)
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#TED #TEDTalks #JacobCollier #TheBeatles
@CecilCeceRobert
June 24, 2026 at 1:51 pm
🙄
@ProdByNuvano
June 25, 2026 at 6:56 pm
Yo can he pls start making this a weekly thing, its always so beautiful
@lisa1689LBC
June 25, 2026 at 6:59 pm
I’d love to know what Paul Anka, Paul Williams and Richard Carpenter think of this brilliant guy.
@RichMulholland
June 25, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Thank you wonderful humans ❤️🔥
@strangecws123
June 25, 2026 at 7:15 pm
Absolute premeditated genius. Jacob has invented a new performance art form.
@sandragiuria8725
June 25, 2026 at 7:24 pm
Genius you and a great group of musicians.AwesomeAmazing !!!!
@sandragiuria8725
June 25, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Thank you Jacob and everyone!!!❤
@JayWisco
June 25, 2026 at 7:29 pm
Low tier content. What happened to TED?
@brickviking667
June 25, 2026 at 7:38 pm
I finally identified the piece – around about 10:00. Props to Jacob Collier for leaving the mystery that long.
@jesusestanislao1253
June 25, 2026 at 7:53 pm
Goosebumps…
@S3VENROY
June 25, 2026 at 7:57 pm
Killer band!
@geordie4339
June 25, 2026 at 7:57 pm
Am I the only one that doesn’t get it?
@BrianHurry
June 25, 2026 at 8:08 pm
2:41 I know it
Edit: nope I was wrong
@BrianHurry
June 25, 2026 at 8:19 pm
I can’t afford tickets but next time can you tell me when you’re in Vancouver I’ll sneak in and see you
@mati.romero81
June 25, 2026 at 8:21 pm
Might be the longest running scam ever. kuddos to him
@reneem.fountain7250
June 25, 2026 at 8:23 pm
Absolutely amazing! Astounding! ❤❤❤❤
@dbadagna
June 25, 2026 at 8:29 pm
VSO = Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
@ThangNGQ
June 25, 2026 at 8:32 pm
Absolutely incredible!
@rdking58
June 25, 2026 at 8:34 pm
Greatness
@mjears
June 25, 2026 at 8:35 pm
Brilliant and beautiful as usual! But this was not mostly “improvisational magic” (from the description). Except for the very end with the audience, this was all brilliant _arranging_ by Jacob. With his absolute pitch, he appears to pick notes out of the air, but it’s all in service of the arrangement in his head. Notice, too, how he simplified Lennon’s 7-beat verse into 4+4 to avoid throwing people off. Marvelous skills, delightful spirit, joyful music. ❤
@martinzeddy
June 25, 2026 at 8:38 pm
Probably because I’m old, but I knew it by 5:00. Jacob and the orchestra are all amazing!
@kurosawa1120
June 25, 2026 at 8:49 pm
pure genius without a doubt
@samenger1508
June 25, 2026 at 8:51 pm
5:57 Yeah ngl i would be scared too if i had this genius in front of my face
@guitars4ever176
June 25, 2026 at 9:00 pm
Jacobian brilliance. Truly a blessing to humanity!
@SeanDring
June 25, 2026 at 9:07 pm
The buildup reminds me of penguin café orchestra. Check out broadcasting from home album.
@leonardodalongisland
June 25, 2026 at 9:27 pm
He’s musically brilliant and wish he was my teacher. I’d repay him with fashion lessons.
@Nikki-ud9cl
June 26, 2026 at 7:17 pm
Brian wilson
@Nikki-ud9cl
June 26, 2026 at 7:25 pm
It’s all good but none of it will change the machine bombing innocent people all over the world as we sit her thinking this guy is awesome just because he can put melodies together . I would be more impressed if he could part the seas and make man “Kind”.
@SeriousMoh
June 26, 2026 at 7:44 pm
Very beautiful.
I was convinced it would somehow turn into “Never Gonna Give You Up” when put together at the end. 😂
@skeltonjack55
June 26, 2026 at 7:46 pm
Kinda reminds me of N from Death Note if he wasn’t hunting down Light and also walked….
@theguywhoisaustralian1465
June 26, 2026 at 7:52 pm
It was a little easier to spot which song he had in mind this time, but it was still beautiful
@theheartfollowers
June 26, 2026 at 7:54 pm
LOVE IS ALL ALL IS LOVE
WE CELEBR8 EACH BREATH
EVERY HUMAN ST8
FOR ALL IS ONE
ONE IS ALL
EMBODYING LOVONG AWARENESS
AQTIVE COMPASSION
WIGGLES GIGGLES N GLEE
ALLOWS FOR THE ONE
WE ALL ARE
TO SING & DANCE TOGETHER IN PURRRFEQT HARMONY
IN PEACE
IN EASE
WE
BREATHE🎉
@skeltonjack55
June 26, 2026 at 7:54 pm
90% of them didn’t want to be there…
@embodiedclimatejusticefitn4143
June 26, 2026 at 8:06 pm
That was fun. I guessed the song at 2:45 with three notes on the wind instrument.
@DammitimmaDPalindrome
June 26, 2026 at 8:14 pm
The feels, the FEELS! Music is the mathematical magic that resonates with all souls. If you tear up, you understand true love
@comptonselling
June 26, 2026 at 8:19 pm
I only have a 130 IQ. That’s why I can’t do this. So impressive. ☺❤
@erinmalone2669
June 26, 2026 at 8:19 pm
I get so emotional watching his work❤
@danielketterer9683
June 26, 2026 at 8:21 pm
All you need is love
@rayg4654
June 26, 2026 at 8:25 pm
That was darn good and entertaining!
@foxbutterfly-eden8715
June 26, 2026 at 8:35 pm
I’ve seen posts from members of previous orchestras say that they did in fact do rehearsals. It wasn’t nearly as spontaneous as presented. True, there wasn’t any sheet music. But they DID have some familiarity with what they ended up playing.
It’s still really cool! But…there seems to be some tricky theatrics at play 🙂 which is fine! It’s fun! But… 🙂
@randyjones5736
June 26, 2026 at 8:37 pm
How lucky are we to witness the time period where Jacob Collier walked the earth.
@exbox360hero
June 26, 2026 at 8:38 pm
What a vibe
@dawndavis6650
June 26, 2026 at 8:39 pm
I’m not crying, you’re crying.
We need a revolution.
@GazGaryGazza
June 26, 2026 at 8:46 pm
I’m tone deaf but got it after two and a half minutes 🤣
@material_equivalent1645
June 26, 2026 at 8:54 pm
I found this particular Ted talk to be a complete and utter waste of time, I had to double check whether this was TedX or not with the subpar subject matter and speaker. But it is in fact real, just a symbol of the general decimation of TED
@nmbr1ctrman
June 26, 2026 at 8:54 pm
Anyone checking on the violinists? That’s a long time to keep that up lol
@RianRafaiel
June 26, 2026 at 9:11 pm
<3
@bradyb5487
June 26, 2026 at 9:12 pm
WOW WOW WOW. Incredible per usual!!!
@alb_reuel
June 26, 2026 at 9:18 pm
the funny thing is how these musicians are trained to do much more than these basic run of the mill arrangements (broadway orchestrators must have a hard time with collier doing these type of self aggrandizing with something people don’t know is actually not that hard).
the not so funny thing is collier is actually probably a prodigy, but he keeps fixated on NOT pushing himself.
@Vulti-t6m
June 26, 2026 at 9:27 pm
I feel sorry for the violinists they had to play that the whole time. I imagine youd get sore after some time.
@shadedlady
June 27, 2026 at 3:02 pm
Shoutout to the violinists that had to keep playing
@toucheguy
June 27, 2026 at 3:16 pm
Jacob Collier is the genius modernity needed!
@arthem8
June 27, 2026 at 3:43 pm
woman behind jacob with flute looked as happy as i felt
@Orkdavid
June 27, 2026 at 3:56 pm
creazy thing, couldn’t stop smile thought the vid.
@松井テルヨシ
June 27, 2026 at 4:01 pm
You always make me happy！！！ I love you！！！
@mikeconroy1543
June 27, 2026 at 4:12 pm
All you need is love ❤
@2llmen
June 27, 2026 at 4:22 pm
This guy is amazing, he is so funny and so talented
@f_r_o_g_z
June 27, 2026 at 4:43 pm
Why is he wearing the same cloths cheap “humorist” used to wear in 1991 ? This guy is a total fraud but people are too dumb to realize.
@marynnalindseykerce7510
June 27, 2026 at 4:58 pm
His beautiful and impressive vocal range ❤
@spoopywhiskers
June 27, 2026 at 5:06 pm
What a horrible day to maily only know the beatles thought the guy who does the sentace mixing zelda remixes
@Ifinishedyoutube
June 27, 2026 at 5:54 pm
1:35 as soon as the harp came in I knew it. I know what that’s from. I’m trying to come up with the name
@A-betterMe
June 27, 2026 at 6:25 pm
3:30 – i think ive got it – addition: i know i cant prove it but 😇
@Jm0417-s
June 27, 2026 at 6:29 pm
I know he’s got perfect pitch and is a gifted musician, but I can’t stand to listen to him. It’s too clean. There is no soul in any of it. It sounds overdone and fake.
@theparagamer786
June 27, 2026 at 6:35 pm
Can’t believe it took me until the audience’s part to realize what the song was…this is amazing.
@thomas_branchline
June 27, 2026 at 6:40 pm
i love this video
@barneyboxer3515
June 27, 2026 at 6:44 pm
He is such a genius!
@mydragonseyes8177
June 27, 2026 at 6:58 pm
I needed this!
@mangasprai
June 27, 2026 at 7:01 pm
Imagine these guys used to play classical music being guided by this guy telling them to do a G chord. 😂
@superianmuir
June 27, 2026 at 7:14 pm
I’m sure he is Mozart reincarnated. A musical genius with so much talent.
@Leblribrbrrq
June 27, 2026 at 7:41 pm
Maybe sheets are a bit more efficient after all.
@jeanetteskirvin2847
June 27, 2026 at 7:56 pm
mesmerizing interactive genius!
@spacedoutboy404
June 27, 2026 at 8:18 pm
❤
@KyleB_RCR8
June 27, 2026 at 8:46 pm
Thank you for the wonderful ride
@tahjaybush5479
June 27, 2026 at 8:52 pm
I know that song because I hear from musical cartoon Beat bugs
@aggabuss
June 27, 2026 at 8:57 pm
Real croc.?