Sunday, March 12, 2017

April 29, 2011
By Devon (David Haines)

A Devon composer says he has landed his 'dream job' of becoming a songwriter-in-residence of a US science festival.

David Haines has taken up the role for the Cambridge Science Festival, held in Massachusetts — the first of its kind in the United States.

It runs from tomorrow until May 8 and is a collaboration between Harvard, MIT Museum and the City of Cambridge, among others. MIT Museum director John Durant invited Mr Haines to become involved with the first festival in 2007 and he has had his work performed at each annual festival since.

This year, Mr Durant invited David to become songwriter-in-residence and several of his science songs will be premiered at festival concerts.

Mr Haines, from Teignmouth, has been rubbing shoulders with scientists and professors. He said: "This is my dream job — to have the opportunity to chat with some of the world's leading scientists about their work and do my best to interpret their work in a medium which makes it accessible to all.

"What strikes me about the scientists I've met so far is the overwhelming passion they have for their subject," said Mr Haines.

Presents "Powers of Ten"
Words and Music by David Haines

Trained at Bristol University, London's Guildhall School, and Banff School
of Fine Arts, David Haines has written fifteen music theater works,
including The Puzzle Jigs, which was performed by NCFO in 2003 and
2008. He has worked with many thousands of schoolchildren and has a
special interest in using song to enhance the science curriculum. The
NCFO Science Festival Chorus performed David's science oratorios
Lifetime: Songs of Life and Evolution in 2007 andPowers of Ten in 2008.
More recently, Powers of Ten was the official opening event of the first
USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington DC. David is the
Cambridge Science Festival's Songwriter-in-Residence 2011-2014, and
has just been appointed to the same role with Green Schools Alliance.
He lives and teaches in Teignmouth, Devon in southwestern England.


Many Voices: The Science of Communication features twelve songs by David Haines