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The Institution Of Engineering And Technology JANUARY 24, 2019 - by Jonathan Wilson

FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF NASA'S APOLLO MISSIONS TO BE CELEBRATED AT STARMUS V CONCERT

The World Economic Forum in Davos played host yesterday to legendary musicians Jean-Michel Jarre and Brian May, who joined a gathering of renowned scientists, astronauts and Nobel laureates to discuss the connection between science and music and to confirm details of this summer's Starmus V live concert.

The special panel discussion bridged the fields of astronomy and music, with Dr Brian May, Jean-Michel Jarre, Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier and Dr Garik Israelian all discussing the relationship between science and music, before Jarre introduced his groundbreaking musical tribute to the Apollo Missions for their 50th Anniversary in 2019.

"For the first time, the use of the 'star sounds' library developed by Dr Garik Israelian will be incorporated into composed music," said Jarre. "While it's a relatively unknown phenomenon, it is no doubt real. I'm excited to include the actual sounds of planets and stars in this groundbreaking ode to the Apollo Missions."

Fans from around the globe will descend on Zurich, Switzerland, from June 24-29, 2019 to celebrate Starmus V, one of the world's biggest science and arts festivals. A highly regarded annual event - esteemed past guests have included Professor Stephen Hawking and first man on the Moon Neil Armstrong - the 2019 incarnation promises to be the most important programme to date, coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the Moon landings, a key scientific milestone. Starmus V will also host a special ceremony announcing the 2019 Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication winners, supported by Omega and Kaspersky Labs.

Jean-Michel Jarre will headline a concert at the festival, debuting his brand-new composition featuring 'star sounds' never before heard here on Earth. These are the actual 'sounds' that stars and planets are thought to make, way out in deep space and distant galaxies.

In addition to astronaut Michael Collins joining as the keynote speaker, Starmus V will host a compelling line-up of presenters selected by the Starmus board (Stephen Hawking posthumously, May-Brit Moser, Elizabeth Blackburn, Linda Buck, Brian May, Peter Gabriel, Richard Dawkins, Alexei Leonov, Jill Tarter, Robert Williams, David Eicher, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Starmus founder Garik Israelian).

The festival will welcome twelve Nobel laureates to the stage, as well as luminaries from the worlds of art and music, for six days of discussion, debate and engagement across the sciences, from microbiology and biochemistry to astrophysics and neuroscience. The 2019 programme will bring together some of the most intelligent, creative, and artistic people on the planet. Speakers will include Sir Martin Rees, Brian Cox, Emmanuelle Charpentier, and Helen Sharman.

Starmus V will also feature seven of the original Apollo Mission crew, science legend and champion Bill Nye, along with rock stars Brian May, Brian Eno, Steve Vai and Rick Wakeman. As a special homage to the Apollo Missions and those who made them possible, composer Hans Zimmer will perform a special concert, Once Upon A Time On The Moon.

According to Israelian, the 2019 festival has been designed to ask tough questions about our place in the universe at a pivotal point in human history: "The importance of Starmus V cannot be overstated. At a time when the world retreats to isolationism, collaboration is needed to strategically present the ideas, evidence and challenges we collectively face - and uniquely confront. We believe the biggest and best achievements of the human race are a result of that scientific collaboration."