John Paul Jones to judge Soundbeam competition

[Janvier]

A three member panel composed of John Paul Jones, Charles Hazlewood and Edward Williams has been appointed to judge the Soundbeam competition, the Bristol-based company has announced.

“We're celebrating 25 years of making music with Soundbeam in 2013 and in order to mark the occasion we're inviting our global family of over 4,000 users to submit video examples of their Soundbeam work, to YouTube, with cash prizes for the best entries”, reads the announcement on the company’s website.

Soundbeam is a hardware and software device which translates body movement into music and sound. The technology was first developed by composer Edward Williams as he wrote soundtrack music for the BBC in the late 1970s. It has found much larger application in areas such as the performing arts, education, special needs centres, schools and care homes.

All works must be submitted to Soundbeam by April 12th, and the winners will be announced on May 3rd, 2013. Rules and conditions of the contest can be found on this page: http://www.soundbeam.co.uk/competition/

[Janvier]

Press dispatch from Canada's Victoria Conservatory of Music:


"Ari Kinarthy Wins Soundbeam UK’s International Music Award"


"For seven years Victoria Conservatory of Music student Ari Kinarthy has been composing original music using the Soundbeam. This award-winning ‘touch free’ device uses sensor technology to translate body movement into music and sound. The technology has allowed for an incredible artist to share his music with the world and his track ‘Pain Emotion’ just won best original composition in Soundbeam’s 25th Anniversary Competition".

"Here is what they (John Paul Jones, Charles Hazlewood, and Edward Williams.) had to say about Ari’s winning composition:"

"JPJ: A very interesting idea of performing live with a pre-recorded composition. A very good piece of work in its entirety."

"CH: Wonderful to see a musician engaging with Soundbeam in this way. I liked his composition a lot, and his individual role in it was very sensitively undertaken!"

"SB: Soundbeam’s status as a musical instrument becomes unassailable when it is used to create and perform music which could not have been played in any other way. Ari’s approach – composing an original piece using music software and then adding a dramatic live element with his meticulously controlled Soundbeam solos using a variety of well-chosen instrumental sounds – makes him a world-class Soundbeam virtuoso. Overall this is a dramatic and polished performance which cogently illustrates the liberating potential of the technology."

http://vcm.bc.ca/ari-kinarthy-soundbeam/