Aldeburgh Music have announced a series of TEDx events that will feature a stellar cluster of music artists and industry figures gathering on November 6th in Suffolk, UK. 
For those who don’t already know, TEDx events are based on those of world-famous conference organisers TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design), with whom TEDx organisers are affiliated. The idea of these conferences is to provide a platform for some of the leading thinkers in a given area to disseminate their views and ambitions.
In the case of Aldeburgh Music’s TEDx, the talks will be hosted by TED Music Director Thomas Dolby, with speakers including Grammy award-winner Imogen Heap, producer William Orbit, music journalist David Toop and renowned pianist Louis Lortie. The Aldeburgh Music TEDx will take place on 6th November, from 10am to 6pm, at Aldeburgh’s Britten Studio (in the Hoffman building) in Suffolk.
Faster Than Sound
And if technologically challenging avant garde music performances are your thing, then you’ll certainly be interested in the two-date tour of follow-up performances. These are being run by Aldeburgh Music associates Faster Than Sound, and will feature an impressive line-up of musicians, sound engineers and even visual artists.
Chief of these are collaborative act Spheres & Splinters, a four-piece comprising Tod Machover, who has composed music for the LA Philharmonic Orchestra, and designed high-tech performance instruments for Peter Gabriel and Prince; Peter Gregson, a cellist who has played at the Royal Albert Hall, Edinburgh’s Ingleby Gallery and Le Poisson Rouge in New York; Ben Bloomberg, a Computer Science major and senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has worked extensively in the field of ambisonics; and United Visual Artists, a collection of visual performance and installation artists that have provided visuals for musicians such as Kylie Minogue, Jay Z, U2 and Massive Attack.
United Visual Artists will be providing the eye-candy...The Spheres & Splinters show promises to “create a unique experience for audiences”, and, given the background of some of the performers, will no doubt keep tech-heads enthralled too. But that’s not all: there will also be music from six composers currently enrolled on Aldeburgh Music’s New Music New Media course, which will employ the latest electro-acoustic technology.
The Faster Than Sound performances will take place at 6pm on 12th November at the Hoffman Building in Suffolk, and at 7.30pm on 13th November, at Kings Place, London. Tickets for the Aldeburgh Music TEDx conference will cost £20 (or £15 concessions), while Faster Than Sound tickets are selling for between £9.60 and £26.50, depending on which venue you attend and what seats you opt for. There will also be talks held with the artists involved at the Spheres & Splinters concerts, which are free to attend but must be booked in advance.
To book tickets, call the Aldeburgh Music box office on +44 (0)1728 687110, or, if you wish to attend Faster Than Sound in London, the Kings Place, on +44 (0)20 7520 1490. For more information on these events, check out the Aldeburgh Music web site, below.
