Keep your phone on during Yale Concert Band’s next gig

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The Yale Concert Band is inviting people to turn on their cellphones during its season-opening concert on October 6 in a move that many would not expect from a classical concert band.

Thanks to SynkroTakt, a tool that streams audio tracks on multiple devices, the wind band is offering its music with a technical twist.

SynkroTakt is a web-based tool developed by a group of musicians with technology backgrounds at the University of Georgia (UGA).

The band will be playing “Honeycomb” by Cody Brookshire, SynkroTakt’s Electro-Acoustic Composer. Each member of the audience will use the technology to "play" one of 32 audio tracks mapped into their device and which have been created to play in synchronization with the band on stage.

What the musical ensemble will be playing live will only be a part of larger and highly personalized performance.

"Each audience member has a unique experience, and sounds can be spatialized across crowds," SynkroTakt's developer Richard Saney said in an introduction video.

SynkroTakt interface

Brookshire’s “Honeycomb” was previously featured at the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music convocation ceremony. The composition involved over 20 musicians on stage and 250 mobile devices in the audience.

(Top photo credit: Yale University.)