The electronic medium in our Music of the Spheres program echoes and transmits the sublime light and space-time of the Universe as realized in the fulldome, surround-sound theater of the Imaginarium. MOS 2017 is a series of shows produced in partnership with Ebb and Flow Arts and the Hōkūlani Imaginarium.
Ebb & Flow is an not-for-profit corporation founded in 1999. It is directed by Maui composer and pianist, Robert Pollock. One of the goals of Ebb & Flow is to "enrich the community by presenting international festivals of excellent quality contemporary music concerts and cutting edge multi media events." The show features music by Hawaii composers Robert Wehrman and Peter Swanzy and visuals by Michael Takemoto and Joseph Ciotti.
Great philosophers and mathematicians since ancient Greece, have noticed the uncanny ability of music to elevate sounds to portals through the Universe. Pythagorus believed that abstract concepts define the Universe. He also discovered that musical intervals are abstract, whole number ratios. He thus explained the universe through musical principles. Aristotle wrote that “the motion of bodies (planets) .....must produce a noise since on our earth the motion of bodies far inferior in size and speed of movement has that effect........their speeds....are in the same ratios as musical concordances......the sound given forth by the circular movement of the stars is a harmony.”
Our planets are super-sized spinning tops that make unimaginably powerful and harmonious sounds. “The movements of the heavens,” Johannes Kepler later wrote, “are nothing except a certain everlasting polyphony, perceived by the intellect, not by the ear.” Music, the time art, connects to the stars. We think of electricity and light as instantaneous until we look up at the stars. Electricity and light travel in time. Nikola Tesla described the light from our sun as the equivalent of powerful currents of electricity.
Produced by Ebb & Flow Arts and the Hōkūlani Imaginarium
Runtime: approximately 50 min
Audience: suitable for grades 6 and up
Composers
Robert Pollock, composer and pianist, now directs an arts presenting organization, Ebb & Flow Arts, Inc., in Hawai'i.
Robert Wehrman's music has been performed at the Smithsonian Institute, Carnegie Hall, National Geographic Theatre, and Chicago’s Symphony Hall. His film scores have received international acclaim. He is currently head of the Music Department at Maui Community College
Peter Swanzy performs with piano, guitar, percussion, and computer. He is featured as an award-winning multi-media composer, film-editor, and performer in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
Visual Artists
Michael Takemoto is a visual artist and Art Instructor at Maui Community College. He has also worked the Artists-in-the-Schools Program and the Art Exploratory at various public schools on Maui.
Joseph Ciotti is the Director of the Hōkūlani Imaginarium where he has produced and directed various fulldome shows.