Ideas Worth Spreading at Aldeburgh Music

On 6 November TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) come to Aldeburgh Music with a very special conference – TEDx Aldeburgh Music.  TED is a global movement, its aim to disseminate “ideas worth spreading”. Starting out in 1984, it now consists of two annual conferences - the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford each summer. These annual conferences bring together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in just 18 minutes. TEDTalks are inspired and inspiring – some previous speakers have been Annie Lennox, on why she is an HIV/AIDS activist, to Al Gore, on averting climate crisis.  On the TED website, http://www.ted.com over ,700 TEDTalks are available to the world, for free, with more being added each day.

TED’s celebrated format consists of a suite of short, carefully prepared talks, demonstrations and performances on a wide range of subjects to foster learning, inspiration and wonder—and to provoke conversations that matter as well as TEDTalks videos which contain a minimum of two pre-recorded talks from the acclaimed TEDTalks video series (these talks are available free on TED.com).

The TEDx programme is designed to give communities, organisations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at a local level. At TEDx events, unique talks given by live speakers combine with TEDTalks videos to spark deep conversation and connections. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis.

TEDx Aldeburgh Music will feature live talks by Louis Lortie, Martyn Ware, Tim Exile, Imogen Heap, United Visual Artists, David Toop and others.  Tod Machover (of the Guitar Hero game fame, and TED’s Music Director) will also be presenting on the day.  The day’s conference starts at 10am and finishes at 5pm.

A week later, Faster Than Sound will join forces with the legendary composer, Tod Machover to present a brand new collarboration with cellist Peter Gregson, ambisonic sound designer Ben Bloomberg and the cutting-edge United Visual Artists.  Their performance, on 12 November at 8pm is entitled ‘Spheres and Splinters’, referring to the shapes of sound that the artists will surround the audience with, and creating ‘sound splinters’, fragmenting the material in innovative new ways.  This is a unique exploration of instruments and electronics, by cutting edge artists and composers.

To book tickets for either of these events, or to see what’s on this autumn at Aldeburgh Music, please visit our website at http://www.aldeburgh.co.uk or ca,ll the Box Office on 01728 687110 for more information.