Eric Idle’s, of Monty Python fame, cousin is Peter Oundjian, the conductor of the Toronto Symphony. Elizabeth Renzetti of the Globe and Mail talks to them about how to mix classical music with comedy.

Success took them in different directions, and music brought them back together when Oundjian was guest-conducting the philharmonic in L.A., where Idle had settled. In 2003, Oundjian took up the baton at the TSO and the discussions about a collaboration in comedy began in earnest. “It was a series of conversations,” says Oundjian, “that got him wondering, ‘What can I do with an orchestra that’s more than just singing my funny songs? What can we do that creates a plot?’”