Jarrell Pair

From July 1995 through June 1996, I was extensively involved in the technical development of StarChild, a multimedia opera. The opera was composed and produced by Audio Research Team director, James Oliverio.  Alec Robinson and I created sound effects for the opera using data sonification methods we had developed as part of an ongoing team project.  I was also involved in the installation, testing and evaluation of the eight channel audio steering system used in the opera.

The StarChild production team included visual futurist Syd Mead (designer for the films Blade Runner, Aliens, Tron, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture ), lighting designer Lloyd Sobel, animator Steve Walker, and scientists and engineers from across the Georgia Tech Campus. Students met and worked with the guest artists in workshops, lectures, and in the production of the opera itself. An internet Mbone broadcast of StarChild took place on June 5th, 1996. Two live performances followed on June 6th and 7th.  StarChild was also filmed and later broadcast on public television, a production for which it later won a regional Emmy.

The technical aspects of the production were presented as a poster at the 1996 International Computer Music Conference.

Oliverio, James and Jarrell Pair. “Design and Implementation of a Multimedia Opera.” Poster presentation in Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference. Hong Kong, 1996., pp. 202-203. Download PDF