Developers in Baltimore are hoping to enhance the orchestral audience experience with a new app called 'Octava'.
Created by Eric Smallwood and Linda Dusman, it's described on their website as "a tablet app for real-time program notes that acts as a concert companion for audiences at orchestral concerts."
Here's a demonstration of how the app works:
This month, during National Orchestra Institute concerts in College Park, Maryland, audience members have been testing out the app with their Apple or Android tablets. They can purchase tickets for the 'Octava seating section' in the back of the performance hall to give it a trial run.
In a recent interview with the Baltimore Sun, Smallwood said, "We want to honor the performance and the moment, not be a distraction."
Dusman added, "I think everyone understands music on a cellular level, but that's often not enough to carry one through a four-movement symphony. Octava serves as a kind of translator, to help with the nuances of the language of music."
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