An interactive approach to seemingly complicated sounds. What is a loudspeaker orchestra? How does it sound? How does it work and how do I make music with it? Children and their families can get to know this very special instrument through listening, exploring the loudspeakers and sounds in the room, and turning the knobs of the mixing desk. A fun musical experience centered around the evening concert of the Berliner Lautsprecherorchester at 7 p.m. for children aged 5 and up and their families.

A loudspeaker orchestra is a collection of various loudspeakers. In case of the Berliner Lautsprecherorchester, this typically consists of around 40 loudspeakers. Each of the loudspeakers can be controlled individually and has at least an adjustable volume. Different types of loudspeakers are used: regular ones, like those we know from home stereo systems or other sound systems, but also more exotic ones, such as transducers and tactile transducers, which are built into special resonators and transform the loudspeaker from a sound projector into an instrument.

The loudspeaker orchestra sees itself as a resonating body, embodying the usually virtual sound of electroacoustic music. It takes the standardized presentation of electronic music away from the headphones back to the concert hall and makes it possible to interpret and play it while giving it its own sensually tangible presence. Far more than a playback device, it is an instrument in the true sense, capable not only of reproducing sounds but also of shaping and generating them to a sound space.

A so-called console allows the sounds to be distributed live within the orchestra, to play with them sonically, and to stage them in the room. It is usually played by one player, but sometimes also four-handed. Alternative interfaces such as tablets or Wii controllers can also be used.

A cooperative project with KLANGZEITORT, the joint institute for New Music of the UdK Berlin and HfM Hanns Eisler Berlin

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