DJs will mix with orchestral musicians, opera singers and poets at a four-day festival to explore contemporary music and showcase computer music research at the University of Plymouth. The Peninsula Arts Contemporary Music Festival, Voices II, features several new works being performed for the first time. Among the premieres at the festival on 23-26 February 2007 is a ground-breaking piece of work, called Cortical Songs. Co-written by John Matthias, lecturer in sonic arts at the University of Plymouth, and sound designer Nick Ryan, Cortical Songs will be performed by the Ten Tors Orchestra at St Andrew’s Church in Plymouth on Saturday 24 February (7.30pm). The composers were asked to write the piece by the University of Plymouth and Nonclassical Records, which was set up by Gabriel Prokofiev - grandson of composer Sergei Prokofiev.
 | | John Matthias |
The commission was for a new work to be played by a string orchestra "utilising the rhythms inherent in networks of spiking cortical neurons." A CD of the work is due for release in the Autumn. John, who played violin on Radiohead's CD, The Bends, and featured on Coldcut's track, Man in a Garage, said the result is a beautiful, melancholic piece of music. But how exactly was the 15-minute work created? John explained it was all down to programming the computer so that it worked like neurons in the brain. The computer programme was created mathematically to replicate neurons, which fire signals. At this point, the computer causes a light to flash. John said: "We've built a system of lights and 25 neurons. When a neuron fires, a light flashes. It creates interesting rhythms. "We've got an orchestra with 24 musicians and myself on violin., and we have rules about what we must do when the light comes on. "We thought: let's make something beautiful that will evolve that we don't expect. But we vaguely had an idea about how it would sound, because of the rules we set. "It's quite a slow, melancholic piece of music."
 | | Ten Tors Orchestra |
The concert at St Andrew's will feature Ten Tors Orchestra Strings and John on violin. Also appearing that evening are Sally Beamish, Eduardo Miranda, Nigel Morgan, and Hywel Davies. The Cortical Songs will be performed with the computer sending out the lights, which the orchestra will react to. The CD is due to be released in the Autumn, with the orchestral version and reworkings of the track. "Gabriel Prokofiev gets electronic and dance musicians to rework pieces of music," said John, who is also working on a solo album also due for release in the autumn. Also this autumn, the University of Plymouth is starting a new BA course in sonic art - described as a cross between fine art and music. The Cortical Songs premiere (it's also being played live in a concert in London in May) is just one of many events at Voices II. The festival features performances, lectures, installations and workshops, all embracing new music inspired by the voices of nature, science, computers and poetry. A range of musical disciplines are utilised, with the aim of encouraging people to think about the urban and rural environments through music and words.
 | | Marie Vassiliou |
Among the premieres is Cape Gloss - Mathilda's Story, a new opera for solo soprano featuring Marie Vassiliou. Another is Spellchecks, a tale by Edward Cowie which is inspired by magic and spells, and the work of Shakespeare. Many of the events are free of charge. Some are held at the university, but other public venues are also used during the festival. Simon Ible, director of music at the University of Plymouth, said: "I hate to use the cutting edge cliché, but much of what we are presenting results from the very latest computer software research as well as supporting traditional and spiritual music genres from around the world. "So this is Plymouth, emerging as a major new force in the British new music scene." For a full listing, see the University's Voices II web page which is linked from this page. | 
