City of Floating Sounds

Picture the scene: dozens of strangers meet at select locations around London and walk through the city together, playing different strands of Huang Ruo’s City of Floating Sounds out loud from a bespoke app, creating a full symphony as they go. Sound intriguing? Grab your phone and some comfy shoes and join a moving orchestra! Your first step is to choose from six different starting points around the city to connect with other participants and begin the experience. Your app will select one of 12 strands of the piece to play aloud, and guide you to follow your chosen route, layering with the music played by others around you. The path you take and other audience members you meet all change what you hear, meaning no two performances are the same. The experience culminates in a full, live orchestral performance of the piece by composer Huang Ruo in the Royal Festival Hall, alongside compositions from Advaith Jagannath, whose work was performed as part of the BBC Proms Young Composer performance this year, and Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. The mission of the BBC Concert Orchestra is to bring inspiring musical experiences to everyone, everywhere, with the ensemble’s versatility as the key. Commissioned by Factory International, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, National Taichung Theater, Taiwan and West Kowloon Cultural District. Produced by Factory International and BBC Philharmonic. Bespoke app developed by ECHOES. Presented by the Southbank Centre and BBC Concert Orchestra.