Massive Symphony Will Create an Orchestra of Smartphones

On Thursday November 11, 2011, smartphone users across the world will have the opportunity to participate in what promises to be “the largest orchestra in the world.” Massive Symphony is a volunteer-run project that aims to turn the world’s smartphones into a massive orchestra on Nov. 11, 2011 (11/11/11) at 11:11 (GM+1). The free app is currently available for Android and the iOS version will be available soon. The app will synchronize all the devices on which it is installed, down to the exact millisecond. At exactly 11 hours, 11 minutes, 11 seconds and 111 milliseconds, the devices will begin performing one minute of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony—arguably the most famous piece of classical music ever written, so quite the natural choice for this project. Users can either join in the first symphony, or alternatively, the music will repeat every hour until 10:11 “so that every time zone on the Earth is able to join in the great symphony.” After the song is played, a map will show the number of people in each country that have participated.



At the time of this writing, the Android app has a little over 3,000 downloads. We can only hope that as this week progresses, the project will gain momentum. “Play to change the world,” the video proclaims, emphasizing the project’s overarching message of cooperation. “Change is here…Together.” It’s a lofty goal, but it’s certainly one worth working toward. The digital age we live in offers a myriad of possibilities, changing the way we live, the way we work, and the way we work together. The makers of Massive Symphony are hoping to show that it’s a change for the better. EM.

YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011

On March 20th, the 2nd YouTube Symphony Orchestra performed the grand finale of a week-long celebration of music in Australia at Sydney's singular Opera House. The performance was streamed live online and the orchestra featured 101 musicians from 33 countries. It was accompanied by incredible visuals controlled live by a light artist and projected on the 'sails' of the opera house. Behold:

Assembly of the orchestra began last fall with a video posted on the YTSO's YouTube page calling for auditions. Musicians from around the world auditioned by submitting videos of themselves playing music from the symphony on their instruments, many of which might not be found in a traditional orchestra. Also on the YTSO's YouTube page, there are brief videos introducing many of the players.

It is impressive that the organizers and members of the orchestra collaborated on the realization of their shared vision despite the thousands of miles between them and pulled it off spectacularly. The  success of YTSO demonstrates that the democratizing influence of the internet extends even to the staid realm of classical music.  BP

Lady Gaga. Bad Romance. Bluegrass.

Need we say more? Here at Future-ish, we love it when worlds collide to create something new and fantastic. That's about the only way you can describe this little YouTube treasure...guitarists Patrick Goble and Donovan Kirkpatrick interpret Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" a la bluegrass four-handed guitar. Fusions of music genres continue to pop up all over the place and that's fine by us.

Ahn Trio at TED

The Ahn Trio is made up of three sensational sisters: cellist Maria, pianist Lucia, and violinist Angella and together they are taking the classical world by storm. Thoroughly a 'contemporary trio' they truly are shaping the future of music in many ways, not the least of which by working with artists from across musical and other disciplines ranging from dancers and DJs to ecologists and kite makers. Below is there latest performance at the 2011 TEDWomen conference.

Microfluid equalizers

A team of faculty and student bioengineers lead by Dr. Albert Folch at the University of Washington have used microfluid science to bring music to our eyes. The small device they use is smaller than a fingernail but the colorful outcome is larger than life. Find more videos at the Folch Lab Channel on YouTube.