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TECHNOLOGY. I have always enjoyed an element of Mixing those orchestral sessions has added a whole new
technology. My Dad used to work for the BBC – it always dimension to my experience with a DAW – my good old
amazed me to watch him plugging cables into patch bays to faithful computer sound card gave up the ghost halfway
make things work. So many options – how did he know what through too! Not a good time financially to replace computer
went where?! components. But worth it in the end. Our videos can be seen
on the BSO website. WATCHING. I conduct a lot of Film
I have always been a competent user of Sibelius for my Music concerts with orchestras and have always been struck
orchestrating work, but it was time to properly get to grips how effective it is to take a piece of music out of the film
with some recording technology. As the Music Director of and onto the concert platform. Add a touch of context with
BSO Voices (a community choir partnered with the a short presentation link and the audience are back there in
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra) I found myself the film but purely concentrating on the music. This could
having to run online rehearsals, which I have to say were never happen the other way around – can you imagine the
just a disaster! The differing delays between everyone in the final scene from Bridge of Spies as Tom Hanks returns to his
Zoom meeting sounded like Charles Ives at closing time – wife and collapses on the bed without Thomas Newman’s
not good! The end product we were aiming for was a virtual music? Wagner achieved this in Seigfried’s Funeral March
performance of a number from the concert we were 8 weeks by filling the stage with mist from the Rhine so the audience
into rehearsing when the lockdown happened – Somewhere could just immerse themselves in the music without
Over the Rainbow, also used to say thank you to the NHS. distraction.
Choir members had to record themselves singing their parts
to click tracks that I had prepared. I then collected all the More rabbit-holes for me following either the work of
tracks in my Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software and Directors or Composers, especially the great partnerships of
started the long process of editing them together. I know Lean/Jarre or the lesser known works from Spielberg/
full well how they would sing if we were all in the room Williams. If you haven’t seen The Adventures of Tintin
together, where the ‘s’ or ‘t’ goes at the end of a word and yet then please do and let me know what you think!
how to make the vowel sounds come alive – so much harder
to achieve when singing into your phone. This truly is a hideous time for so many of us and our
children who are missing out on the musical experiences
I was delighted with the results though, especially when the they would normally be experiencing in their schools, youth
final edit was put with the video (thanks to Alex from the orchestras and bands. But I hope that we can all find some
BSO for that) and was taken up by Classic FM and put on good use of this extra time to gently forward ourselves both
their website. We have since done another song and are professionally and personally so we come out in good shape
currently working on 3 for this term with ‘real’ by the time we are allowed to resume our business and
accompaniment by the full BSO. passions. I really don’t think anything will be the same
again after this, but I do hope that all the innovative things
that the music and theatre worlds have come up with will
help expand both opportunities to participate and the size
“
of audiences alike.
www.peteharrison.biz
@PeteBHarrison

As I always say at the end of my concerts,

there really is nothing like the sight and

sound of a real orchestra* and this must be

protected at all costs for all our sakes.

*(band/ensemble!)

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