Data from Non-Musical Material as Spectral Compositional Resources, as Utilized in the Orchestral Work, Hello Universe

Hello Universe is a chamber orchestra piece in three movements: “One Small Step for Man”, “Ad astra”, and “Hello Universe.” It was inspired by and celebrates the decades of humanity’s exploration of the universe since the first US Apollo 11 mission landed on the Moon in 1969. The topics of the three movements are: humankind’s first moon landing; the sounds of outer space; and communication between humanity and extraterrestrial lifeforms. My compositional process includes raw material collection, non- musical data mining, translation from non-musical data to musical materials, and applying those materials in orchestral music composition. In this work, I drew upon related non-musical fields for my raw materials, including astronomy, audio technology, and cryptography. This doctoral project integrates my interests in exploring the possibilities of mining and obtaining compositional material in innovative ways, and combining spectral music techniques with other contemporary music genres, including micropolyphony and minimalism.