Curious Sounds Schedule
Symphony Hall throws open its doors for a special event in partnership with Fierce Festival; as part of the world famous venue’s 21 Anniversary celebrations. Experience the unusual side of sound and music on Saturday 7 April, and as part of the wider Fierce Festival (29 March-8 April).
Symphony Hall will become a laboratory of ear-opening sound experiments, a chance to discover the mechanisms behind sound and explore areas of Symphony Hall not usually open to the public. Curious Sounds in Curious Spaces will feature music based performances, installations and workshops for all the family.
Below you will find the schedule of day, which runs from 12noon-5pm. You can drop in to any part of the day and to help you navigate the diffent spaces you will be given a map on arrival.
CURIOUS TOUR OF BACKSTAGE SYMPHONY HALL (12noon – 4.30pm, continuous)
A curious and mysterious drop-in tour of backstage runs from 12noon until 4.30pm. Featuring artists Ray Lee, Mark Anderson, Felix Thorn, Sound Kitchen & Sarah Farmer.
Tours start at Stage Door.
CURIOUS EVENTS IN THE FOYERS (12noon-4.30pm)
Juneau Projects (Drop in workshop suitable for 5yrs+)
Cardboard instrument making workshop.
Use cardboard to build and decorate your own instrument then add some simple electronics to trigger sound samples and play!
*Children to be supervised by responsible adult at all times
The Theatre of the Mind (12noon-4.30pm
An installation created from vintage radios presented by Soundkitchen.
8-bit Lounge (1pm-3.30pm)
Play retro 1980’s arcade games and hear 8-chip tunes from the best young DJs in Brum.
Brian Duffy (Modified Toy Orchestra) (12.30pm-1pm and 3.30pm-4pm)
‘Texas Phase Poem’ uses 5 ‘Speak and Spells’ in a special performance.
CURIOUS PERFORMANCES IN SYMPHONY HALL
Picture and Piano - Graeme Miller 12.15pm-12.45pm & 1.30pm-2pm
A brand new piece by internationally acclaimed artist Graeme Miller, who recently won the Latitude Festival Contemporary Art Award for his ‘Moth Theatre’. In Picture and Piano a piano slides into the distance accompanied by its own movie as the instrument makes it’s bid for freedom.
Feral Choir - Phil Minton 1pm - 1.30pm
The Feral Choir have explored all the different sounds they can make with their voices other than singing and will come together to fill Symphony Hall with a very different choir sound. This performance is the culmination of a series of workshops led by Phil Minton ‘for anyone who takes a delight in the freedom to experiment’.
Tuning Up - Stephen Cornford & Bill Leslie 4pm - 4.30pm
A beautiful piece. Harmonicas are attached to large, helium-filled balloons. When they are released they blow musical notes and make harmonic chords, which will make the auditorium hum. The large red and black balloons are like a birthday present for Symphony Hall’s 21st anniversary.
Mobile Sinfonia - A flashmob style performance of Jem Finer’s Mobile Sinfonia 4.30pm
Bring your smart phones and yourselves onto the stage at Symphony Hall to perform the Mobile Sinfonia in a space where mobile phones are not normally allowed! Pick up a leaflet with instructions on how to take part in the foyer at Symphony Hall or download in advance at http://mobilesinfonia.net/
Calling all Trollies (STOP) We have escaped and are running riot in Symphony Hall (STOP) Send re-inforcements, ladders, rope and biscuits (END)
Attention! Latest sighting of Trollie inside the hall! Any ideas how to get him down?
Trollie has escaped from Symphony Hall and is running round the foyers. Can you spot him?
Mobile Sinfonia – One of three UK launch performances of Jem Finer’s (ex-The Pogues) new work. Developed in collaboration with a team of computer scientists at ICIA in Bath, the piece consists of a series of ringtones downloaded from the Mobile Sinfonia website and ‘performed’ by the general public in a space where use of mobile technology is usually frowned upon.
Automata like you have never seen before. Felix Thorn makes moving musical installations from all sorts of found materials from parts of musical instruments to soap dishes you can see some of Felix’s Machines as part of Curious Sounds in Curious Space at Symphony Hall on Saturday 7th April 2012.
