Fifty music students from the University of York will perform three orchestral pieces on laptop computers this month, forming the largest digital ensemble of its kind in the world. Called the Worldscape Laptop Orchestra (WLO), the group will play music written with laptops supplied by Apple Computer Inc. The students at the Department of Music at York created the multimedia performance in just five weeks.
They will use the full range of software functionality for their performance including video detection where hand movements of performers are decoded by Apple Macbooks into musical events. The 50 laptops use вЂAirport’ wireless internet to communicate, sharing audio and control data. The concerts will be streamed live from the university’s website.
Each with a laptop, the 50 musicians will sit on the floor surrounded by video screens in an atmospheric lighting scheme, creating an extravagant multimedia spectacle. WLO designer and director, Dr Ambrose Field, an award-winning composer in the Department, said: “The computers become musical instruments in this performance.
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.