"A harmonically rewarding wander through the stars" (The Washington Post)

"An astral symphony that promises to leave stargazers in awe of both space and classical music" (DCist)

"The ultimate blend of art and science...inspired and illustated by NASA's latest mind-boggling images" (Agence France-Presse)

The finale of Cosmic Cycles: A Space Symphony features breathtaking images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope - an exploration of the universe and its origins, from the Pillars of Creation and the Orion Nebula to the M87 Supermassive Black Hole. Find below a sneak peak of what to expect!

The Synthesised Soundscape
Henry Dehlinger introduces a captivating synthesised data sonification. At the heart of the Perseus galaxy cluster lies a black hole - an enigmatic cosmic entity which NASA scientists captured its presence through pressure waves that ripple in the cluster’s hot gas. These waves translate into a note: B flat, precisely 57 octaves below middle C. While humans cannot directly hear this cosmic hum, it has been resynthesied into a range we can perceive.

We also experience binary star colliding winds, merging neutron stars, and distant gamma-ray bursts. Dehlinger masterfully weaves these celestial phenomena into the musical fabric, creating a multisensory voyage through space and time.

Full Circle
For the grand finale, everything returns to its cosmic origin. Dehlinger revisits the solar theme as we approach a distant exoplanet system - a mirror of our own Sun. The searching "four-note motif", introduced earlier in the work, resurfaces, building anticipation. Then, like a celestial sunrise, a different star emerges, its brilliance captured in a soaring fanfare.

The symphony crescendos, reaching its zenith in a magnificent fort-fortissimo C major chord. In this harmonious resolution, we glimpse the Echoes of the Big Bang - the birth of our universe.

Witness and experience the musical voyage beyond the stars with UNSW Orchestra on Friday 26 July, 7pm at Sir John Clancy Auditorium.