Based in Montreal, Ensemble Éclat is dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music and promoting the works of emerging composers. The ensemble seeks to curate unique events by exploiting multimedia elements and mixed music to create captivating programs.

Alex Huyghebaert, flute
Gwénaëlle Ratouit, clarinet and bass clarinet
Charles Chiovato Rambaldo, percussion
Léo Guiollot, percussion
Paul Çelebi, piano
Jeanne Côté, violin
Audréanne Filion, violoncello
Charles-Eric Fontaine, conductor
Seungwoo Han, audio engineer
Priam David, videographer

Video Credit: NASA/CXC/A. Jubett & Priam David

The Universe of Sound data sonification project started out as a way to translate data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other NASA telescopes into sound, particularly for our community members who are blind or low vision. Working with our partners at SYSTEM Sounds, the project uses mathematical mappings to assign digital sounds to the pixel values of the NASA data (learn more about our sonifications here). A frequent question we get, however, when presenting this sonification work is from musicians who ask if they can play the data.

Our Galactic Center sonification, using data from NASA’s Chandra, Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, is one of the first pieces we have translated into a composition with sheet music. Working with the composer Sophie Kastner, we have created a soundscape that can now be played by musicians.