Make music with the stars

Have your composition beamed into space

This weekend, one lucky person will have their own musical composition beamed into outer space.

As part of Einstein Year, the Institute of Physics is running a competition at a free music workshop to be held at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich London, to find the best cosmos-inspired piece of music to beam into the outer reaches of the Universe.

The Heavenly Music workshops will run on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 June, and offer young people the chance to make their own music from sounds inspired by the cosmos.

Musician and PhD student, Jade Hamilton, has been recording galaxies, stars, aurorae, planets and pulsars to inspire young music-makers, and help them make stellar compositions using physics.

With the help of special listening equipment, participants will listen to a variety of galactic sounds – including storms on Jupiter recorded last week – and will use them as inspiration to compose a piece of music on the instruments supplied.

The Institute of Physics will choose the best composition from the weekend and broadcast it across space.

Aimed at young people of 14 years and above and families, the workshops will run from 10am to 12 noon on Saturday 25 June and 9.30am to 11.30am on Sunday 26 June.

To attend e-mail Jade Hamilton on jadespade@no-log.org

Notes to editors:

For further information on Heavenly Music or Einstein year, please contact Dee Rossi on 0208 392 5714 or 0791777 0453, or email dee.rossi@mission-21.com.

Einstein Year is a year-long celebration of physics and its relevance to all our lives.

Marking the centenary of Einstein’s three ground-breaking ideas it communicates the vital role physics plays in developing new technologies like cancer screening equipment and mobile phones, whilst addressing big questions such as how the Universe was created and how climate change can be tackled.

For more information on any aspect of the year, including how you can get involved, please contact: Caitlin Watson, email: caitlin.watson@iop.org , tel: 020 7470 4814, fax: 020 7470 4991.

The Institute of Physics is a leading international professional body and learned society with over 37,000 members, which promotes the advancement and dissemination of knowledge of and education in the science of physics, pure and applied. It has a worldwide membership and is a major international player in: scientific publishing and electronic dissemination of physics, setting professional standards for physicists and awarding professional qualifications, promoting physics through scientific conferences, education and science policy advice.

Released: 2005/06/23 11:00:00 GMT+1