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By Margaret K. Evans, MIT Media Lab. Ahead of the world premiere of Philadelphia Voices, in this interview, Tod Machover shares his insights into the composition and the community. Q: How did Philadelphia Voices come about? Tod: Five years and eight cities ago, we mounted our first project in the Opera of the Future group’s City Symphonies series. We hadn’t planned it; the idea sprang from serendipity. In 2012, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra invited me to curate their annual festival and compose a piece for the event. I knew that they were an adventurous orchestra and that in asking me they wanted something unusual. As I considered how to create a musical portrait of Toronto, I knew I’d do it by listening to the city… and its people. What was needed, I thought, was a way of creating a much broader cultural ecology where people who didn’t know a lot about music and people who knew more and the top people in the profession could all not just communicate but truly collaborate to make something extraordinary together. So, I went back to the orchestra and said that I wanted to incorporate real city sounds into the symphony, and I also wanted to invite the entire city to help me make the piece. The orchestra said yes. Then my Opera of the Future research group and I had to figure out how to actually do this. In doing so, the City Symphony idea was born. That first project in Toronto, which premiered in March 2013, was an invigorating success, and we went on to create City Symphonies in Edinburgh, Perth, Lucerne, and Detroit, among other places. While the core mission of City Symphonies remains the same, each project has taken on a character of its own, unique to each city and what we find there. Now, from its very start, Philadelphia has been a very different experience from all the other cities. 
This infographic shows some of what went into making Philadelphia Voices. (Credit: The Philadelphia Orchestra)
By Paul Horsley. “Crowdsourcing” as a term for the tech age was coined as recently as 2005, but as a broad concept it’s as old as human society itself. Any social contract, any set of organizational by-laws, even any national Constitution, is the result of the coming-together of a multitude of ideas, opinions, voices: a “crowd of sources.” Wikipedia, which is quotable here perhaps only because it is itself a sort of modern triumph of crowdsourcing, defines the term as “a sourcing model in which individuals or organizations obtain goods and services, including ideas … from a large, relatively open, and often rapidly evolving group … to achieve a cumulative result.”  In the arts, roots for crowdsourcing were planted, perhaps, by anthologies of stories by various authors, or by murals painted by multiple artists, or even (in music) by the variations that Anton Diabelli commissioned from 51 different composers in 1819 and published as a gigantic mish-mash. In the modern era, composers have taken this to a new level by including natural sounds, poetry, and storytelling—from the recorded bird calls in Respighi’s 1924 The Pines of Rome to the seemingly random chatter in Luciano Berio’s 1968 Sinfonia and the recorded conversations that morph into instrumental melodies in Steve Reich’s 1988 Different Trains.
Some might say that none of these relatively controlled settings constitute crowdsourcing per se. Certainly none of them could have prepared us for Tod Machover’s “crowdsourced symphonies,” which take to heart the concept of egalitarian openness by soliciting material from everyone and everywhere, which the composer then forms not only into the very building-blocks of his music, but into the text for the piece as well. The way these collected elements fit together, and the collaboration that evolves between all the participants, is at the core of Machover’s vision.  Tod and his team at the MIT Media Lab have been capturing all kinds of voices in Philly. From the chef at Pat's King of Steaks sharing his secrets to making delicious cheesesteaks, to raucous birds creating a "dawn chorus" at Philadelphia Zoo, to high school students reciting the Preamble to the Constitution, we continue to be amazed by the energy, diversity, and musicality of Philadelphia voices.
In this first blog post of our Composer's Picks series, we share 13 of Tod's favorite voices from Philly so far. Check back often as the list grows, and don't forget to contribute your voices via our Philadelphia Voices mobile app. Download it (iOS, Android) today to start recording the sounds around you. Your submissions may be featured in our next Composer's Picks blog post! By Tod Machover. I had been discussing collaborating on Philadelphia Voices with Alysia Lee for several months, so it was a great treat to finally attend Saturday morning rehearsal of her Sister Cities Girlchoir at First Presbyterian Church in Fishtown. The girls ranged in age from about 12 to 18, and they showed an incredible amount of concentration for a Saturday morning; this came from practice and also from Alysia’s leadership and precise-but-expansive musicianship. The choir did some rhythmic exercises, then learned some melodies, then sang in counterpoint, then added movements to the music, and finally gathered in a large circle so that all of this could be consolidated and shared. The purity of tone and passionate delivery was infectious. After all of this, Alysia gave me a chance to work with the girls; I was pretty intimidated after seeing how well they worked without me! But we tried some additional rhythms, first counting 1-2-3-4, and then 1-2-3-4-5, as precisely and vividly as we could. I asked what word they knew that had five syllables...and someone finally guessed: “Philadelphia”. We experimented with the city name for 15 minutes or so, speaking, then singing, then shouting, both together and not-so-together. At the end, I gave the girls a challenge of helping to create Philadelphia Voices by thinking of words and phrases that convey the essence of the city to each of them, and then making melodies or texts to express those feelings. They will all work on this on their own and in Saturday rehearsals, and then we’ll get back together in a few weeks to share results. I am sure that some of this material will end up in Philadelphia Voices; the Sister Cities Girlchoir will be among the several hundred voices on stage for the premiere performances in Philly and at Carnegie Hall. Exciting!  By Rébecca Kleinberger. One of the goals of the Philadelphia Voices project is to make music and music-making accessible to everyone in the city. You don’t need to be a trained musicien to make music, you don’t even need to be able to speak to vocally participate and have your voice heard! As part of “We’re HEAR Week,” the Philadelphia Orchestra organised a free sensory-friendly concert inviting everyone in the community and especially those of us with cognitive or physical disabilities, sensory sensitivities, learning differences or anyone who could benefit from a relaxing environment to enjoy music. I set up an experience booth with the help of Kevin Walker and his team from mSound recording studio. We invited families and children to rediscover their voices with technologies that we build at the MIT Media Lab. Children could try the ORB, a porcelain object that vibrates and becomes alive with the voice of the user. We also presented for the first time Milky Waze, a voice-controlled interactive software that allow users to conduct a choir of diverse voices from Philly only with their individual voices, to reflect how individual and society interconnect and echo one another.  By Rébecca Kleinberger, Diana Robinson. Tod gave a talk to a group of chamber music students participating in the Philadelphia International Music Festival at Bryn Mawr College today. He introduced an array of research projects being developed at the MIT Media Lab, the ways in which music and tech can interact in interesting ways, and of course, the Philadelphia Voices project. The audience was an engaged;a group of talented young chamber musicians contributed interesting ideas to future adventures such as filming the sounds of the Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska! We are excited to hear the sounds they will capture in Philadelphia with our mobile app over the coming months.   By Diana Robinson. We were blown away by the talent and artistic passion we saw in the teens at the Village Arts program when we visited Village Arts, hosted by visionary program leader Mike O’Bryan. The students and Mike shared their perspectives on Philadelphia and the ways in which they experienced the city both as natives and recent transplants. We learned of their favorite spots from street performances in the subways to school sports as well as their ideas about music and art. A highlight was an a cappella performance from one of the students of a piece she had written in her notebook just the day before.  By Rébecca Kleinberger, Diana Robinson, Alexandra Rieger, Sizi Chen. We were thrilled to lead a workshop at Drexel University’s ExCITe Center as part of its Young Dragons summer camp hosted by Professor Youngmoo Kim and his students. It was an energizing and illuminating morning! Working with the kids, we learned about the sounds of Philadelphia that resonated the most with them. Our activities drew out stories and thoughts about their favorite parts of Philadelphia, the sounds they heard there, and together we explored how to recreate these using just voices. Following this prompt, the kids also transcribed these sounds with crayons onto large papen canvases - some using words, others creating visual scores. At the end of the workshop, each group gathered to perform their mini composition. Despite some initial shyness, our performers were all very impressive in their unique styles, embodying something precious and intangible about the sounds that animated them. Congratulations to all the Young Dragons and thank you for letting us see Philly through your eyes, voices, and energy! 
By Diana Robinson, Alexandra Rieger, Sizi Chen. Rébecca Kleinberger, a Ph.D. student from the Opera of the Future group at the MIT Media Lab, gave a presentation at Drexel University’s ExCITe Center as part of the monthly “lightning talks” series in which speakers from across the University share short, informal research updates and introduced new initiatives. Rebecca gave an overview of the past City Symphonies , described how the model evolved from Toronto, and explained our hopes about the Philadelphia Voices project. After the presentations, we met with a group of diverse and interesting individuals, discussed potential collaborations with various school programs, and gathered people’s impressions and ideas about the Philadelphia Voices project.  After a day of meetings, it was magical to explore the pop-up hammock garden, food truck haven, and ships along the water in the Spruce Street Harbor Park. We strolled along the boardwalk capturing images and recording audio as we took in the sights, smells and sounds of busy vendors, seaside food creations and meandering people. We even encountered a golden-era swing dance and jazz show with performers in full period attire amidst the bustling crowds. It was fun to watch children playing with chess pieces as tall as they were, appearing lilliputian alongside giant games of Connect4 and Jenga. We were struck by the laidback vibe of Philadelphians out enjoying the evening and each other’s company. What a lovely urban summer oasis!  By Rébecca Kleinberger, Diana Robinson, Alexandra Rieger, Sizi Chen. We met with WHYY host, acclaimed broadcaster and producer, Elisabeth Perez-Luna at her favorite Philadelphia café, Frieda’s, an open-plan art, food, and community café. Over various selections of toast and fruits, Elisabeth shared her perspective of Philly with us: a city of activists of all kinds, a post-industrial city looking to redefine itself on its own terms and a place where immigrants bring their backgrounds together to create rich communities in a thriving city. She also described Philly as a city of intense and exciting rivalries from sports to food! Above the hum of soft cafe music and a unique “bird sound” installation in the restroom, she told us of her own unique “Philly story,” narrating her perspectives on the city and personal experiences in her warm melodious voice. .What an enriching experience to be enveloped by stories and accounts of artistic activism in the warm ambiance of the cafe.   By Rébecca Kleinberger, Diana Robinson, Alexandra Rieger, Sizi Chen. One of the highlights of our June visit was diving deep into the South Philly neighborhood home and canvas to mural artist and South Philly native, Michelle Angela Ortiz. Together, we strolled alongside the Italian Market, learning the stories of the various vendors and seeing the art inspired by each vendor. Michelle Angela gave us an in-depth view of the role of murals in local Philly communities and talked about the controversy of the Frank Rizzo mural and its status as the most vandalized mural in Philly. We also had the pleasure of meeting her family who have lived on the same colorful street for two generations now and have been celebrated for throwing the best block party in town. Through this exploration, we learned more about the strong affiliations Philadelphians feel to their unique neighborhoods within the city. During our visit, Michelle Angela shared stories and murals about her family’s history, welcomed us into her parent’s home (just across the way from her own), and revealed her hopes and fears for the future during a walk through the neighborhood accompanied by her husband and young son. As the sun set over the marketplace awnings, she invited us to her home to see her wonderful garden, a true urban oasis brimming with fragrant buds flavorful herbs, sprouts and vegetables. Here amidst stars, humming neighborhood lights and garden flowers, Michelle described how the legacy of her family and neighborhood has inspired her artistic journey.  By Rébecca Kleinberger, Diana Robinson, Alexandra Rieger, Sizi Chen. We greatly enjoyed spending time with expert music historian, Jack McCarthy, on our June and July trips to Philadelphia. He took us on a fascinating tour through the centuries of Philadelphia’s musical landscape: from the silence of the Quakers to the first public live music performance, through the early trend-setting of rock and roll, jazz, R&B, soul, and of course, the birth of the legendary Philadelphia Orchestra. Along the way, we learned about the vast complexity and diversity of Philly music including the Lenni-Lenape tribe, the Hermits of the Wissahickon, American Bandstand and Philadelphia International Records. (Rébecca, Diana, Alexandra, Sizi)  By Rébecca Kleinberger, Diana Robinson, Alexandra Rieger, Sizi Chen. On July 21st we embarked upon a musical tour throughout different parts of the city to experience the diverse range of music and performances at Make Music Day Philly. We were accompanied by our gregarious host, festival organizer and South Philly native, Dillon Minacci. From Bluegrass Jazz, to drum performances and street musicians, we were gifted with the diversity, quality and liveness inherent to Philly’s music culture! One of the most remarkable music collaborations we attended was between Ben Arsenal from Worldtown and the guests of Broad Street Ministry, a very special organization that practices radical hospitality and serves the homeless population of Philadelphia. We witnessed so much talent, energy, playfulness, sharing and expressivity from the guests, culminating in a wonderful remix of voices, catchy drum beats, instruments, and soulful melodies - all created on the fly from sheer improvised creativity.
By Rébecca Kleinberger, Diana Robinson, Alexandra Rieger, Sizi Chen. Here we are at last, finally arriving in Philadelphia: the birthplace of democracy in the U.S., the city of Benjamin Franklin, and the epicenter of the American Revolution. Philadelphia is an incredibly diverse, historic, and multifaceted city of activists, community organizers, and neighborhoods. We have been looking forward to this project. Tod Machover’s first City Symphony A Symphony for Toronto, sparked an international celebration of many other cities around the world including Perth (Australia), Edinburgh (UK), and Lucerne (Switzerland). After Symphony in D that painted a sonic portrait of the city of Detroit, our first American City, we finally arrived in Philadelphia! Today, we launched Philadelphia Voices at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia with an experimental performance composed and directed by Tod Machover, in which 16 young singers from the Commonwealth Choir improvised based on three words “Philadelphia”, “Benjamin Franklin”, and “democracy” to honor Philadelphia’s role in American democracy. After the performance, the audience was invited to experience some of the visionary technologies the MIT Media Lab has developed to allow anyone to contribute audio, video, original compositions, voices and more, and to help shape the feel and story of each City Symphony through a new kind of collective creativity. Drexel University’s ExCITe, directed by Professor Youngmoo Kim, also showcased its latest research projects in music technology, including a “voice tube” that allowed people to manipulate the audio signals of their voices to create new sounds.  Hello everyone! Here’s an update from Tod + crew:)
At the end of September, Tod attended a special DSO gala where he unveiled a sneak preview of the final Symphony in D coming November 20-21. The performance took place on the rooftop of the M@dison Building in downtown (which also happened to be overlooking a game at Comerica Park!). Check out this news blurb covering the event! While in the city, Tod was also able to meet with important collaborators to brainstorm how to fit all the parts of the performance together in the most creative, compelling manner for a city like Detroit! Here are just a few of the key collaborators: Features Tod Machover's article on A Symphony for Lucerne on page 23. By Chantine Akiyama, MIT Media Lab. Today we’ve got a recap of a recent trip Tod and the team took to Detroit two weeks ago. Akito from the Media Lab, who is an expert at our Hyperscore software, conducted a couple of Hyperscore workshops while he was there, one at the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences (DAAS), and another at Crescendo Detroit. We also checked in on our Hyperscore exhibit at the Michigan Science Center, where anyone can come and use the software. DAAS is a K-8 educational community located in the heart of downtown Detroit, founded in 1997 by Rev. Jim Holley, Ph.D, who held a desire and vision to create an innovative educational center that met the needs of the children of Detroit and its surrounding communities. At DAAS, Akito got to give seven students ages 10-14 a Hyperscore tutorial where he showed them how to create rhythms and melodies using the software’s visual interface. Soon enough, the kids were were off and on their way to making beautiful masterpieces of their own.  |
