Springfield Symphony offering free ringtones

Beethoven's ninth is now a ringtone — brought to you by an unlikely source of ringtones, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Springfield News-Sun reports.

"Symphony orchestras can be relevant in the 21st century," said operations director Robyn Zimmann, "and are relevant." What started as an idea by the symphony's audience development committee is now a reality. The SSO is offering free cell phone ringtones — short clips of the orchestra in concert — on its Web site. The SSO is offering four ringtones (plus two phone wallpapers) to start with, but let's be brutally honest here — Mozart isn't Lil Wayne, and "Eine Kleine Nachtmusic" ain't "Lollipop."

permalink (March 27th, 2009)

A new symphony is music to gamers' ears

There have been several ringtone concerts performed around the world, so why not a video gaming symphony? Well it's happening. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, a "symphony" comprising music from some of the most popular video games will be performed in Sydney next year after sell-out shows in the US and Europe. "The Sydney Symphony will perform Play!, the "video game symphony", at the Sydney Opera House from June 20 next year, under conductor and Grammy award winner Arnie Roth. It includes music from about 20 games such as Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, The Legend Of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., World Of Warcraft, Lost Odyssey and Sonic The Hedgehog. As well as a full orchestra, choir and pipe organ, the show will also feature highlight clips from the video games, which will be played on large screens above the orchestra." permalink (December 18th, 2006)

Flash Mob Cell Phone Symphony - in a Bookstore

Sixty cell phone ringtones, going off simultaneously in a bookstore bag check. New York February 2006. View video here "News traveled to employees in other parts of the store. At one point an announcement was made over the loudspeaker, "Attention Strand customers: your phones are going off at the bag check." The working theory after the first two rings was that one phone was going off first and then triggering the other phones. I think some thought that the "triggering" phone was defective and the whole thing was a coincidence, and others thought that the guilty phone was specifically modified to make others ring. Either way, it was agreed that if they could find the phone that rang first and shut it off, the rest would stop as well. [Improv Everywhere via digg] permalink (August 30th, 2006)

Mission ringtone symphony

The bag check area at the Strand bookstore,NYc, has about 120 cubbies. Phones left in the bag there are going off regularly, the employees are now used to it. Improv Everywhere, the New York City scene-makers known for causing random inexplicable acts of absurdity, thought it might be turned into a cell phone symphony. They asked participants to come with a bag and their phone. "The first step was to divide everyone up by cell phone brand. In addition to creating a cacophony of 60 phones going off at once, I also wanted to have different sections play at different times, like a symphony. Instead of the "string section", we would have the "Samsung section". The crowd divided into brands and each group tried to find a common ring tone that all of their phones had. The Nokia group had the "Nokia Tune", Motorola folks had "Hello Moto", etc. Those without common ring tones would either partner up with someone who did, or partner with someone else without a common tone. Agents began to pair off and trade phone numbers, deciding who would enter the store and who would be a caller. Small groups of agents headed down one at a time to enter the store and check their bags. Once everyone was in the store with their bag checked, I called our conductor Agent Kula back in Union Square and told him it was time for the first movement. He counted down and had all 60 callers hit send simultaneously. At once, the phones started ringing in the bag check. In addition to the pre-set groups of phones, there were many more random ring tones firing off in a maelstrom of high-pitched beeps. The primary audience for this mission was the Strand employees, specifically the two who were working at the bag check." Via Popgadget. permalink (February 21st, 2006)

Vodafone Symphonia played on 1000 phones with 53 different ringtones

Vodafone NZ hired a production team to orchestrate cellphones into “playing” Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture. The effort took 1000 phones and 53 different ringtone alerts, synchronized to recreate the famous classical piece. [via Mashable] Watch the video of the performance as well as the making-of in two parts (part 1, part 2) Not a first though, a collection gathered by American composer Golan Levin initiated the first original «Dialtones Symphony», where the 200 instruments played were the audience's ringing cell phones. The first concert took place on September 2nd, 2001, at the Brucknerhaus Auditorium in Linz, Austria during the Ars Electronica's annual festival. Golan Levin performed his symphony again in the summer of 2002, at the Arteplage Mobile de Jura as a production of the Swiss National Exposition. (Ringtonia) More on cell phone and ringtones concerts/symphonies. permalink (October 23rd, 2009)

English orchestra tunes up for virtual concert

Not related to cell phones, but fun. Stuff reports that one of Britain's oldest symphony orchestras is to play a concert in Second Life. "The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is building a replica of its concert hall where it will perform works by Rachmaninov, Ravel and two contemporary composers from the northern English city. After the concert, they can chat to the orchestra's principal conductor Vasily Petrenko and performers in the virtual bar. Michael Elliott, the orchestra's chief executive, said he hoped the September 14 concert would attract a new audience to classical music. "It's a lot of fun and certainly adds a different dimension to the more traditional visit to a concert hall," he said. " permalink (August 15th, 2007)

Cellphone Concertino Video thanks to the NY Times

The New York Times offers a video of the Concertino for Cellular Phones and Symphony Orchestra by David N. Baker, held October lst in Chicago and explains just how the audience was asked to participate. "A device similar to a traffic light signaled the audience members to activate their rings — red for the balcony, green for the orchestra seats — at various points in the piece. An assistant conductor, Terrance Gray, followed the score and activated the lights. Four amplified mobile phones were onstage. One, operated by a teaching assistant at Indiana, Aaron Vandermeer, was programmed with Mr. Baker’s main tune and well-known classical themes like the “William Tell” gallop and a motif from the last movement of Brahms’s Symphony No. 4. The other three cellphonists onstage played random rings, sometimes timed to destroy a pastoral melody here or there. Mr. Freeman held a brief practice session before the downbeat. “You may use as much imagination or as little as you like,” he said. ... During the performance, some in the audience held up their phones and waved them back and forth, as if to make themselves heard. Little squares of light from the phone screens studded the hall at Dominican University, one of the homes of the Sinfonietta. But the audience cellphonists seemed to lose steam toward the end of the piece, and the orchestra occasionally drowned out their rings. Organizers hoped that the sound would be better the next night, at Orchestra Hall in Chicago." Just for the record, as this is loudly being touted as the first such performance of its kind, with the audience buzzing "we made history", it was not a first. Dialtones Symphony was the first very ringtone concert. It was conducted by Golan Levin and performed in September 2001 at the Brucknerhaus Auditorium in Linz, Austria. The 28-minute concert was produced through the ringing of 200 visitors' phones. And there have been others since: -- Links in Ringtonia to ringtone concerts and symphonies -- An Informal Catalogue of Mobile Phone Performances, Installations and Artworks - through 2002 permalink (October 4th, 2006)

Concertino for cell phones and orchestra

U.S. jazz composer David Baker is encouraging people to use their mobile phones during the debut performance of " Concertino for Cellular Phones and Orchestra" that will open the 20th anniversary season of the Chicago Sinfonietta classical music festival next month. [via Reuters]. "During the 15-minute composition, members of the audience and the orchestra will be asked to use their cell phones at various points throughout the piece with red and green lights telling them when to turn their phones on and off. Baker, who has more than 2,000 jazz, symphonic and chamber compositions to his credit, said people will also be encouraged to randomly increase and decrease the volume of their ring tones and try to recognize familiar tune fragments on the ring tones sounding on orchestra members' cell phones." Dialtones Symphony was the first very ringtone concert. It was conducted by Golan Levin and performed in September 2001 at the Brucknerhaus Auditorium in Linz, Austria. The 28-minute concert was produced through the ringing of 200 visitors' phones. Related: -- Links in Ringtonia to ringtone concerts and symphonies -- An Informal Catalogue of Mobile Phone Performances, Installations and Artworks - through 2002 permalink (September 22nd, 2006)

Mobile Phone Performances

"Mobile phones give public space another dimension by adding a layer of communication and sound which innovative artists are turning into performance art", writes CScout looking back one mobile performances, such as Dialtones, a concert performed in 2001 entirely through the ringing of the audience's mobile phones at the Ars Electronica Festival and this year's updated version of AGORA, a 2005 performance in Williamsburg where the choreographer featured 60 dancers, plus participating audience For this year's AGORA II people are invited "to not only bring their bodies to the performance, but also their cell phones", "to create a grand tableau - a city slice - a social experiment... Other Mobile performances permalink (August 18th, 2006)

Chicago Sinfonietta ringtone concert

Karina on mobuzz.tv today mentions the Chicago Sinfonietta's incorporating mobile ringtones into its performance. As part of their ongoing experiment in audience participation, they are unveiling a new work called Concertino for Cell Phone and Orchestra by David Baker. During the performance, different sections of the audience will be asked to play their mobile ringtones at different times. "The grand finale will probably have everyone play their cell phone at once, according to the Director. Other ringtone concerts: -- Rocking the stage with mobile phones - The Handydandy consisted of five media artists from Austria using their mobile phones as musical instruments. -- Cellphones join the orchestra - German conductor Bernd Kremlin incorporated mobile phone ringtones into his orchestra's performances. -- Get 25,000-watt music via your mobile phone - An experimental live concert was held at the annual 2003 Ars Electronica festival where performer Tim Didymus conducted a live concert featuring music and sounds generated entirely on-the-fly from a mobile phone application. -- Radio Ringtone Concert - The Hamburg Kunsthalle was the venue for a musical event dubbed "Wählt die Signale" (Dial the Signals), a radio concert for 144 mobile phones. -- «Dialtones Symphony» - Was a collection gathered by American composer Golan Levin who initiated the first original «Dialtones Symphony» in 2001, where the 200 instruments played were the audience's ringing cell phones. Offbeat: -- Interactive Live Show - A Techno gig using mobile technology in 2001, was broadcast nationally across Japan. -- Ringtone Concert In Estonia - The Tallinn Song Festival in Estonia planed a ringtone concert planned…sorta. -- Cell phones and ringtones play part in new musical comedy - A stand-up comedian and a student wrote a musical comedy where cell phones and ringtones play a part. permalink (June 19th, 2006)

Ring Tones Acquire Some Classical Tastes

The NY Times on the ringtone market and the older consumers' budding interest in dowloading classical music. ... ."As a category, classical ring tones have not made it to the Top 10 yet. From the start, the focus of the industry has been on popular music, since teenagers have shown the most interest in modifying their phones. Today, the 60+ group represenst a tiny fraction of the market for ring tones. Almost one in four cellphone users 18 to 24 years old have bought a ring tone in the last six months. But only 9 percent of cellphone users 35 to 44 have done so, and only 2 percent of those over 55 have bought a ring tone. Part of the reason for older people's slowness toward personalizing ring tones is that the selection for this group has been limited. But that is changing. Boosey & Hawkes, a British classical music publisher, for example, recently decided to capture some of the market by making 300 of the most popular classical music recordings in its catalog available as ring tones at booseytones.com. These include familiar pieces like Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Copland's Appalachian Spring. But Boosey & Hawkes's classical tones cost much more than most popular ring tones, $5.56 apiece, compared with $2 to $3 for more popular genres. In 2005 the ring-tone market had revenues of $603 million, and that number is expected to reach $931 million this year, Jupiter says. By 2010 ring-tone revenues are forecast to grow to $1.3 billion." permalink (May 4th, 2006)

Classical Music: Rings

Everyone from Madonna to hip-hop star Kanye West has been selling portions of their songs as cellphone ringtones. Now, some less likely names are joining them -- like the early 20th-century Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The WSJ reports. "Orchestras and classical-music publishers want a piece of the increasingly lucrative ringtone business -- which saw about $600 million in U.S. sales last year -- and they're rolling out their own music for cellphones: -- Boosey & Hawkes, a major classical music publisher, offers more than 300 songs from its catalog as $2.99 ringtone downloads on its Web site. -- The New York-based American Composers Orchestra is auctioning five exclusive ringtones online that it commissioned from composers like Philip Glass and Danny Elfman. -- And the London Symphony Orchestra now sells ringtone versions of its concert recordings for European cellphones on its Web site for about $5.20 each, and plans to start carrying ones for U.S. phones this year." Related articles on Classical Music and cell phones: -- In celebration of Mozart -- Missed the concert? Get the ring tone -- Nokia announces Ryuichi Sakamoto phone -- Teenage violin virtuoso to launch ringtones -- The Royal Opera of London offers ringtones -- Classical Tones -- Playing classical ringtones are music to his ears permalink (March 18th, 2006)

In celebration of Mozart

SignOnSanDiego.com reminds us that next Friday is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. "Even those who have never attended a classical concert or purchased a Mozart recording have heard Mozart's works. They're everywhere – on cell phone ringtones, TV commercials, movie soundtracks and in shopping malls, where "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" may serenade shoppers." "Mozart is one of the few great masters who has truly penetrated pop culture," says Syracuse University professor Robert Thompson. ... Monks in some French monasteries have found that cows who listen to Mozart produce more milk. An Italian winemaker insists that piped-in Mozart makes his grapes ripen more quickly. Whether the claims are bogus or not, there are also many who believe that Mozart's music has distinct benefits to people. His works have been touted as a means of boosting intelligence, treating illness and disabilities, and enhancing creativity and mental health." So in honor of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, here are a few places online where you can dowload his music onto your cell phone: -- Ringophone Mozart page includes Mozart's Requiem - Confutatis, Rondo alla Turca, Turkish dance, The Magic Flute, The marriages of Figaro, Piccola serenata notturna. -- RingTone JukeBox offers 3 Mozart ringtones: Mozart's Classic Symphony, Figaro and Rondo A la Turca. -- Classic Cat has one of the largest selections of Mozart ringtones, from the Magic Flute to Symphony No 40. -- Real Mozart tones can be found on Jamster, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No 21, Marriage of Figaro, Sereneade No 13 and more... permalink (January 22nd, 2006)

'Note'-worthy contest seeks new ringtones

Professor Tod Machover of the Media Lab is creating his own buzz with an MIT make-your-own-ringtone competition using Hyperscore, software developed at MIT that allows composers to write music with computer graphics. The contest started on Monday, Jan. 9, and entries will be accepted until midnight Saturday, Jan. 21. "The original version of Hyperscore -- part of our Toy Symphony project -- allowed kids to compose music for orchestras around the world," Machover said. "Now you can even carry your masterpiece with you, right in your cell phone." Ringtone submissions will be judged by a panel that includes Machover; David "The Edge" Howell Evans, guitarist for U2; MIT Professor Marvin Minsky; and award-winning Hyperscore inventor Mary Farbood, a Ph.D. student at the MIT Media Lab. Participants must have an MIT e-mail account. For more contest information and to enter, visit www.h-lounge.com. [via MIT news office] permalink (January 11th, 2006)

First ringtone related garment?

The previous post on a symphony orchestra up for bids, made me curious as to what ebay was selling related to Ringtones. There's actually quite a bit, mostly ringtone software, ringtone CDs, and interesting, even a commercial ringtone website is up for sale. But this item for kids caught my fancy: A A Crazy Frog hooded top. "Official Licensed Crazy Frog Ringtone Baggy Fit Hoody featuring the Crazy Frog and his most annoying 'A Ring Ding Ding..........' catchphrase (The catch-phrase also appears on the reverse of the garment). A garment related ringtone is a first, I'm pretty sure. permalink (August 6th, 2005)

Going for a song: one orchestra

Many bizarre items have been put up for sale on the auction website eBay: now someone is selling a 90-strong symphony orchestra. The Guardian reports. "The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is flogging a little of its time, offering a "once in a lifetime opportunity to conduct the CBSO" with a "personal conducting lesson with CBSO maestro". ... The money raised from the auction will go towards the orchestra's community and education programme". permalink (August 6th, 2005)

Teenage violin virtuoso to launch ringtones

Nicola Benedetti, the teenage violin virtuoso from Ayrshire, is to launch a range of mobile phone ringtones to tap into the youth market, reports the Times Online. Samples from three tracks on Benedetti's new album — Havanaise by Camille Saint-Saëns, Méditation by Jules Massenet and Contemplation by Johannes Brahms — have been sampled for the ringtones, which will cost between £2 ($3.80) and £3.50 ($6.70) to download. Her recording company expects to sell thousands of the samples. Classical ringtones are becoming increasingly popular. In February, the London Symphony Orchestra, which performed on Benedetti's, became the first classical ensemble to record a range of ringtones, from which it hopes to make £20,000 a year. Julian de Ste Croix, acting chief executive of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, added: “Nicola is just the right person to help take classical music to a younger audience and the fact that she is launching a range of ringtones can only be beneficial.” Related: -- Missed the concert? Get the ring tone - The London Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1904, has become the first orchestra to record and sell ringtones, -- The Royal Opera of London offers ringtones Themed around particular operas and ballets. Along with a text messaging campaign, the Royal Opera aims to broaden the appeal of opera and ballet and attract younger people. permalink (April 25th, 2005)

Senses-crossover makes for tasty music

Not specifically related to music on cell phones, but interesting. From New Scientist. "A musician in Switzerland can "taste" the sounds of a symphony. The musician, known as ES, is a synaesthete, a person who involuntarily experiences a crossing over of the senses for certain types of stimuli. But not only does ES see certain colours when she hears specific notes - which is quite common among synaesthetes - but she also associates specific tastes with different pairs of notes, or intervals. In tests where different tastes such as salty, sweet, cream and even low fat cream, were placed on the musician's tongue she was able to identify the correct interval faster than five musician non-synaesthetes." permalink (March 3rd, 2005)

Missed the concert? Get the ring tone

The London Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1904, has become the first orchestra to record and sell ringtones, reports the The Times Online. The orchestra has created tones for 54 well-known classical themes that can be downloaded onto a mobile telephone, including renditions from Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Beethoven and Vaughn Williams. All tunes are samples of the orchestra's recordings, either as a realistic “true tone” sound, or simplified “polytone” or “monotone” adaptations. The commercial venture is the latest money-making enterprise for the orchestra, which began its own label in 2000. If you can make classical music everyone wants on their telephone then that is excellent,” he said. “We want to make classical music part of life. Even if we make a loss we feel it will have been worth it.” - Clive Gillinson, the orchestra's managing director. Related: -- The Royal Opera of London offers ringtones Themed around particular operas and ballets. Along with a text messaging campaign, the Royal Opera aims to broaden the appeal of opera and ballet and attract younger people. permalink (February 28th, 2005)

Mockingbird sings ringtones

The Houston Chronicle has a wonderful article on the courtship practices of our feathered friends and we discover that some breeds really know how to strut their stuff. Males dance, posture, bluff and sings note from ringtones or doorbells - all part of an elaborate routine to convince females of male prowess. "[...] But the courtship performance of most male birds, however, is with song. And no bird illustrates courtship song better than the mockingbird, which sings his heart out for females. Combining tunes from other birds along with the disparate notes from doorbells and cell phones, the mockingbird can render up to 200 unique harmonies. It can also mimic the songs of 36 different songbirds. In fact, a female mockingbird chooses her mate based on his song. She is lured to the male that can sing the greatest number of harmonies and mimic the widest variety of other bird songs." This reminds of a widely circulated story in 2001 about a Danish man who claimed the sparrows in his garden were chirping the Nokia classic tone. And along the same lines, one may also purchase a CD to teach birds to sing mobile phone ringtones. More on bird ringtones: -- Cell Phones Heed Call of the Wild - Cell-phone users in the US can set their ringers to the song of the pied butcherbird, cry of the screaming piha or tremolo of a loon, among other critters, -- Birdsong ringtones - According to Neil Wyatt, chief executive of the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country, which co-ordinates the symphony, the interest in birdsong is growing and apparently, bird ringtones are also popular; "the yellowhammer, wood warbler and lapwing are among many that can be downloaded". permalink (February 12th, 2005)

Ringtone halts Ravel concert

Ananova reports that French conductor Marc Soustrot stopped a Danish Symphony Orchestra performance of Ravel's Daphne and Chloe, in Copenhagen, when he heard a ringtone from the seats. He waited for the ringing to stop, then asked his musicians to begin the performance from the start, making them repeat a large section of the ballet score. permalink (December 1st, 2004)

Birdsong ringtones

The UK Independent has a wonderful article about an event called "The International Dawn Chorus Day", where bridwatchers from all over the world gather at dawn to hear a bird call symphony. According to Neil Wyatt, chief executive of the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country, which co-ordinates the symphony, the interest in birdsong is growing and apparently, bird ringtones are also popular; "the yellowhammer, wood warbler and lapwing are among many that can be downloaded". So for all of the birdwatchers who read Ringtonia, here's where to go online to download your favorite birdcalls: -- Mobile Avenue because with Birdlife, they have produced the largest selection of high-quality ring tones for (Nokia) handsets. The tones cover a number of European and African species and some more specialised bird calls. -- Or, in a reverse fashion, you could also purchase a CD from artists Thomson & Craighead's and "Teach a bird to sing a mobile ringtone". This idea has got to come from one of the most off-the-wall ringtone stories that circulated in May 2001, about a Danish man who claimed the sparrows in his garden were chirping the Nokia classic tone. permalink (May 1st, 2004)

Cellphones join the orchestra

A German conductor is incorporating mobile phone ringtones into his orchestra's performances. Bernd Kremling, who runs the Drumming Hands orchestra in Wuerzburg, used ringtones ranging from Bach and Mozart to Old McDonald Had a Farm, according to Ananova.

Some phones are set off by the musicians but others have to be rung from backstage at the right moment to set off their sound.

For more on cell phone concerts performed around the world, check out Golan Levin's collection online, called An Information Catalogue of Mobile Phone Artworks.

permalink (August 28th, 2003)

Dialtone Concerts

Precious information picked up on Smart Mobs, linking an Informal Catalogue of cell phone concerts performed around the world.

A collection gathered by American composer Golan Levin who initiated the first original ««Dialtones Symphony»», where the 200 instruments played were the audience's ringing cell phones. The concert took place on September 2nd, 2001, at the Brucknerhaus Auditorium in Linz, Austria during the Ars Electronica's annual festival. Golan Levin performed his symphony again in the summer of 2002, at the Arteplage Mobile de Jura as a production of the Swiss National Exposition.

Of note in Golan's catalogue, «Japanese Whispers», where "about 10-20 cellphones are laid nose-to-toe in a circle. Ambient sound and the voices of the participants are input into the cellphone mouthpieces. Sound is propagated through the phones, becoming delayed and distorted in the resulting feedback loop".

permalink (March 23rd, 2003)