I’ve served on the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Board of Trustees for approximately one-and-a-half years. In that time I’ve become much more acquainted with the work of the DSO and I’m quite impressed with the vision for becoming an innovative, 21st century symphony. Currently, there are many exciting new projects in the works. Perhaps the one I am most excited about is Symphony in D, which is a new collaboration with Tod Machover from the MIT Media Lab. The goal of this project is to create a collaborative symphony “by, for and with the people of Detroit.” The final composition, which will debut later this year, will feature notes and sounds that reflect the identity of the city.
What’s great about this project is that it is a collaboration with the people of Detroit. Anyone can contribute a sound they feel reflects the pulse of the city by uploading it at http://symphonyind.com/ or through the the Symphony in D app. What’s more, you can listen to the sounds uploaded by other contributors. Ultimately, Tod will synthesize the sounds into a symphony for the orchestra to perform.
This is not Tod’s first time developing such a project. In fact, he has created similar collaborative symphonies in Toronto, Edinburgh, Perth, and Lucerne. However, this is the first such collaborative project in the U.S. Speaking to this, I am really stoked it’s happening here in Detroit!
I had the pleasure of having meeting Tod last weekend during a dinner in Detroit. Tod is incredibly creative, affable, and curious, which bodes well for working with Detroit’s diverse population. I’m very much looking forward to watching this collaboration unfold. For now, my goal is to help liaise Tod with as many different communities that reflect the diversity of our region.
To learn more about the project, check out the following short video.
Also,to learn more about Tod, check out his TED Talk.
