St Cecilia’s Hall proposes to create a sound library of instruments from the University of Edinburgh’s musical instrument collection. This sound library will contain samples of historic musical instruments on display at St Cecilia’s Hall and will feature instruments not available in existing sound libraries.

Working with Dr Martin Parker, Programme Director MSc Sound Design, and his students, this project will provide hands - on experience in sound sampling musical instruments. Students will work with the staff at St Cecilia’s Hall in choosing 10 brass instruments, and then record their sounds with the help of professional musicians. All recording sessions are to take place in the Sypert Concert Room of St Cecilia’s Hall.

Reid School of Music compositions students will then manipulate the samples into newly composed music. The project will culminate with a performance of these pieces juxtaposed with demonstrations of the historic instruments in a concert to be held at St Cecilia’s Hall.

The complete sound samples will be made available to composers and sound designers through a sound library, which will be freely available, but the use of the instrument sounds will be captured