Experience the distant universe made real through art, science, and music, only at the Museum of Science!
Created in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Museum of Science, Boston - composer David Ibbett’s score reveals the music of Mars in a groundbreaking planetarium experience, with live orchestra from Multiverse Concert Series.
Immerse yourself in the real sounds of Mars’ winds, dust devils and seismic rumbles, joined by orchestral melodies created from data collected from the Red Planet and stunning original visuals from the Charles Hayden Planetarium. As with every Multiverse collaboration, the show is informed by a robust science team. Mars Symphony was created in collaboration with JPL, WPI, the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and ETH Zurich, incorporating cutting-edge research and audio from the Perseverance Rover and Webb Space Telescope.
Through its unique blend of live music and science, Mars Symphony charts an interplanetary journey through the past, present and future of the red planet. As we follow the development of rocketry and robotic missions of this present moment - humanity’s dream of reaching Mars seems almost a reality. Will our generation be the first to reach the red planet, and could Mars be home to life beyond Earth?
Project Journey
Phase 1 of the project took place in August 2023, premiering two movements of music in a historic orchestral concert in the Blue Wing of the Museum of Science, performed by the Firebird Pops Orchestra and Multiverse Soloists. In Phase 2, the project moves to the planetarium, premiering in the Charles Hayden Planetarium Boston in 2024 before embarking on national tour.
The Music
Mars Symphony is composed by David Ibbett, whose score reveals the music of the red planet by transforming its natural sounds into Martian synths. Audiences are immersed in the rush of Mars’ winds, dust devils, and seismic rumbles, joined by orchestral melodies driven by the geography (areography) and light spectra from the Red Planet. The music sonifies research provided by a science team from NASA’s JPL, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and ETH Zurich, incorporating cutting-edge audio and data from the Perseverance Rover and Webb Space Telescope, presented live by science communicator Paul Sutter.
Through its unique blend of live music and science research, Mars Symphony charts an interplanetary journey through the past, present, and future of the Red Planet.