50 music students from the University of York will perform three orchestral pieces on Apple MacBooks at concerts this month. They will form the largest digital ensemble of its kind anywhere in the world.
MacDailyNews Note: Not the “world’s first.” More on other existing laptop orchestra’s and related info here.
The Worldscape Laptop Orchestra (WLO) will perform new music written with MacBooks supplied by Apple Computer Inc.
The multimedia performance has been created by students of the Department of Music at York in just five weeks. WLO is designed and directed by Dr. Ambrose Field, an award-winning composer in the Department.
The full range of software functionality is used in the performance – including video detection where hand movements of performers are decoded by the MacBooks into musical events. The 50 MacBooks use Airport wireless internet to communicate, sharing audio and control data. The concerts will be streamed live from the University’s website.
Musicians, each with a MacBook, will be seated on the floor, and surrounded by video screens in an atmospheric lighting scheme, creating a stunning spectacle. The highly unusual sound of the orchestra will combine with this to produce an ‘immersive’ multimedia performance.
Field said in the release, “The computers become musical instruments in this performance. We set out to push the boundaries of human interaction with computers in the WLO, enabling 50 people to explore musical performance in a way which was previously not possible.”
Paul McFadden of Apple said in a statement: “Universities and companies often collaborate on research and innovation. This project is exciting for us because it’s innovation at its most creative – it opens up a whole new vista of using technology in performance.”
Philip Morris, Business Development Manager at the University of York said: “The Worldscape Laptop Orchestra bridges the arts/science divide by bringing advanced computing and video technologies into the concert hall. Digital processing has become an art form.”
The Music Department at York currently supports the work of around 100 postgraduate students. It offers an outstanding environment and facilities for postgraduate study in music and research in most areas of musical scholarship and practice. The modern buildings of the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall now incorporate a new ‘Music Research Centre’ with an additional auditorium, new recording studios and research spaces.
Source: University of York
Lots of laptop “orchestras” out there:
Laptop orchestras from around the world
So does the music simulate traditional orchestral instruments or is it something different?
Video here: http://music.york.ac.uk/online_events/ .
A “laporchestra” what’ll they think of next, “laprock”, lapdance”…
“…it opens up a whole new vista of using technology in performance.”
A new Vista? Tee hee, hee.
This is music to my ears )
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Haven’t we come a ways, already, since the Moog Synthesizer days of the 1960s
Now imagine what’s in store for the next 40 years
BC
@ Ironic, you took the words right out of my mouth!!!!!!
Is it legal to perform the nutcracker in a minor?
But seriously, when did Fox News start using Macbook Pro’s on the set? (believe it or not, I don’t watch them that much, save for Brit)
Will they be playing the “William Tell Overture”?
I always preferred Kazoos.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=T75MC69N2IU
-c
Video is a WMV?
Boo
“…it opens up a whole new vista of using technology in performance.”
…one that <ahref=”http://www.kraftwerk.com/”>4 German guys</a> have only been using for about 30 years!
Didn’t watch the video as I’m not prepared to download any MS media software.
So much for York’s commitment to Macs.
Hey I live in York, near the university and I support Mac’s: I have 3!
Hey! I was a music student at York back in the 70s. That was before computers became widely available, but we did have an electronic music studio which did some great stuff. It was a truly innovative place even then, and well connected too: I recall visits from Shostakovich and from John Cage, among others.
And in other news, researchers realize a single PC can simulate the entire orchestra, allowing 50 unemployable music students to get jobs flipping burgers instead.