New “Black Hole Symphony” at Boston Museum of Science planetarium

“When the world stopped in awe last week to gaze at the photos released from the James Webb Space Telescope, the snapshots accomplished a challenging feat: they made astronomy accessible to the general public,” reports Rebecca Tauber in Friday’s (7/22) Boston Public Radio. “ ‘Black Hole Symphony’ performance at [Boston’s] Museum of Science this summer [does] the same, bringing the science of the universe to everyday listeners through music. ‘It takes audiences on this journey straight to the heart of a black hole galaxy,’ composer and conductor David Ibbett said…. The show, which can only be performed in planetariums like the Museum of Science’s, combines 360 degrees of visuals with a piece from the chamber orchestra inspired by the galaxy. As Ibbett explained it, cellist Johnny Mok plays representations of gravitational waves, flutist and piccoloist Jessica Smith plays representations of X-rays and gamma rays and singer Agnes Coakley Cox serves as the ‘voice of the universe,’ alongside guitarist Matt Russo and violinist Ryan Shannon…. The symphony … was born out of conversations between [Ibbett] and a scientist at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.… After their summer performances, they plan to tour in different planetariums and ultimately return to Boston.”