The Made Of Music Project

Since opening its doors in 2009, patrons attending the Melbourne Recital Centre (MRC) have experienced performances in a room that not only sounds beautiful, but looks beautiful as well. However, they never realised the two are intrinsically linked. The 'Made of Music' project, changed all that. The interior ‘Hoop Pine’ timber walls and ceiling of MRC incorporate an organic texture that diffuses the sound to enhance the timbre and blending of instruments. The result is excellent strength and clarity of sound, unique to this hall.

German designer, Bartholomäus Traubeck, created a modified record player that plays ‘albums’ of sliced wood and translates the year-ring data into music. vimeo.com/30501143
We used his creation to record the sound signature of slices of Hoop Pine, provided that data to composers, and commissioned them to incorporate it into some very unique compositions.
So, in effect, we created a world-first at MRC: a live performance "with" a venue, in a venue.

Invitations were sent to artists such as Radiohead, Kate Bush, Johnny Greenwood and Jonsi from Sigur Ros. Already International renowned contemporary musician Matthew Herbert and experimental artist Maria Calix have performed their ‘Made from Music’ concerts within MRC. Many more performances are planned for the future, plus a documentary on the cards. One thing is certain; visitors to the MRC now see ‘and hear’ the venue in an entirely different way.

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