The Orchestra Starring Former Members of ELO

MIK KAMINSKI

A violin prodigy, Yorkshire, England’s Mik Kaminski joined ELO in 1973 after famously answering an advert in Melody Maker magazine. Ever since, Mik and his blue electric violin have dazzled rock audiences the world over. A consummate showman, Kaminski is the original violin wild man, shattering traditional notions of stage propriety with a classical instrument. If not for his talents on violin, Kaminski’s vocation may well have been humorist, as he is easily one of the funniest persons you’ll ever meet. You just have to sort through his Yorkshire accent to get to the jokes.

ERIC TROYER

Indiana, USA native Eric Troyer’s professional resume reads like a who’s who of rock history. His voice can be heard on mega hits such as “Woman” by John Lennon, “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler and on songs by Aerosmith, James Taylor, Meatloaf, Kiss, Lou Reed and many others. A founding member of ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA Part II, Troyer’s distinctive voice and keyboards, not to mention his tireless work ethic, have been a staple of the band for more than 30 years. Troyer has managed to survive years of exposure to the highest levels of rock and roll insanity with his good humor intact. He is a health nut and history buff.

PARTHENON HUXLEY

Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist Parthenon “Hux” Huxley joined ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA Part II in 1998. His first shows with the band included dates in South America, Europe and The United Kingdom, highlighted by a sold-out night at Royal Albert Hall. Hux composed four songs for THE ORCHESTRA’s first studio album No Rewind. In addition to that album his outstanding vocal and guitar work can also be heard on The Orchestra Live which was recorded before a crowd of 8,000 fans in Vilnius, Lithuania. Hux’s original music appears on ten albums including Sunny Nights (Columbia Records) and Purgatory Falls (Universal). His single, “I Loved Everything” went to #1 on Rolling Stone’s Exclusive Download Chart. Additional credits include four Top 20’s, three Album of the Year awards and hundreds of tracks that appear in film and TV. Hux is married with two daughters.

GORDON TOWNSEND

A native of Philadelphia, PA, Townsend began drumming professionally in his teens. He moved to Los Angeles in 1994 and formed P. HUX with Parthenon Huxley. After Huxley joined ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA Part II, Townsend was the first choice to replace ELO founding member Bev Bevan on drums. Townsend has been with THE ORCHESTRA since the name change playing down an unshakable back beat beneath the band’s often complex musical arrangements. A pro’s pro, Townsend steers his performance to the needs of the song, avoiding flash but supplying rock solid power and finesse. He is a sucker for cool musical gear and rescue dogs.

GLEN BURTNIK

Glen Burtnik’s extensive showbiz career includes a stint on Broadway as Paul McCartney in Beatlemania, a Billboard #2 smash hit “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough”, ten years as frontman for rock legends Styx, and even several short runs as bassist for ELO Part II. Glen also released two solo albums for A&M Records. Burtnik is beloved in his home state of New Jersey for his over the top musical revues, most famously his Xmas Xtravaganza, which features dozens of notable performers. If Bruce Springsteen is the Boss, Glen Burtnik is surely the assistant manager.

LOUIS CLARK

Louis Clark is a graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) which is located within Birmingham City University (RCU). This is one of the world’s foremost artistic educational institutions with a choice group of 1,200 students in their music school, drama school and studies pertaining to its concert venue in Birmingham, England.

After graduating from the RBC Louis began arranging and conducting for various orchestral and musical groups. In 1990, he was invited by his esteemed father Louis Clark Sr., who was world renown as the arranger for Electric Light Orchestra, to begin working with him as a copyist and assistant arranger for his father’s newest group Electric Light Orchestra Part II. This work then morphed into doing that same work 10+ years later from 2001 with THE ORCHESTRA.

In early 2015 Louis began working with THE ORCHESTRA on live shows around the world as a conductor, guitarist, string player and keyboardist. His first tour with the band covered North and South America as well as Europe.

In 2018, Louis was offered full membership in THE ORCHESTRA. He is now responsible for a number of roles in the band and is one of the most versatile on-stage performers in the group. Louis enjoys letting loose on his electric cello especially during the rockier songs. He can also be seen and heard on acoustic and electric guitar at each show and occasionally performing 2nd violin alongside Mik Kaminski. Since the passing of his Father in early 2021, Louis is now the group’s sole arranger and orchestral conductor.

As an arranger Louis has worked with many artists in The United Kingdom. He works regularly with the Leap Ensemble of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. As an example of one of his awards, Louis won the Andrew Downes Composers' Competition in 2014 with his orchestral composition “The Dudley Bug." Louis has also had his original music featured in the film The Last Projectionist which is a 2015 film by Tom Lawes. Like his Dad he is an English Premier League football fan and Beatles fanatic.