Carmina Burana

Research Statement

This large-scale interdisciplinary performance brought together musicians, designers, and performers from across The Ohio State University for a reimagined staging of Carmina Burana. Over the course of a year, I worked in close collaboration with Professor Anna Gawboy from the School of Music to develop a new visual performance instrument that could respond dynamically to the structure and expressivity of the music. We playfully call this instrument the “Buranaphone”.

Design Overview

I created a scorable video instrument using original media content designed to evoke the visceral, ecstatic, and occasionally dark imagery of Carmina Burana. These visuals, projected in real time onto the acoustic canopy above the choir, were controlled live by Professor Gawboy using a custom interface we developed together.

The system allowed for nuanced manipulation of tempo, intensity, layering, hue, and other visual qualities of movement Professor Gawboy and I identified as being important to the musical arrangement over the course of our year long collaboration. Our instrument enabled the video to function as both a performative and interpretive layer of the concert. Our shared goal was to develop a live visual performance that could support and extend the dramatic and emotional arc of the piece. The resulting media environment was a mixed-reality performance space in which music, image, and gesture were fully integrated.

It is worth noting the full title of Carl Orff’s work is “Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanae cantoribus et choris cantandae comitantibus instrumentis atque imaginibus magicis” or Songs of Beuern: Secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments and magical images.”

More Information

Research page and video

Anna Gawboy project statement