His unusually titled trio Ben Folds Five delivered more memorable piano-pop than any other act on the FM bandwidth.

After three albums the Five split, and Folds took off on a solo career that has seen him collaborate with artists as diverse as musician Regina Spector, author Nick Hornby and actor William Shatner.

Despite a period of calling Adelaide home, Folds has never visited Tasmania.

This is about to change when he performs with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra next month.

Folds said he is looking forward to working with the TSO and the dynamics the orchestra will bring to his songs.

"Each orchestra is different and even different from night to night, often depending on conductor, concert master and the roster that night in general," Folds said.

"I've heard great things about the Tasmanian symphony."

Although many of his most well-known songs are straight up and down band arrangements, Folds usually writes ready for orchestral treatment.

"I have a tendency to hear fairly orchestrated arrangements as I'm writing a song," he said.

"I strip that away as much as I can, but generally I'm going to be very happy hearing an orchestra on a song."

Folds is currently playing songs he originally conceived two decades ago, which are now finally receiving the musical treatment he desired.

But none of this work can be recorded.

"Many of the songs I've played on tour with symphony orchestras seem very at home that way, and it's a shame that it's generally not possible to even make a rehearsal tape of them.

"The cost of recording them that way is pretty prohibitive, but that makes the concerts even more special to me as they're simply just for the audience."

Ben Folds, with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, plays on December 10 at the Wrest Point Entertainment Centre.