Owen Ho
Himalayan Birch – Betula utilis
I have always cycled to the RCM through Hyde Park. Amongst other trees, I find the Himalayan Birch tree particularly interesting with its unique shape and white bark, so I thought I would create a short piece of sound art to pay tribute to this species which has kept me company these years.
On one chilly, dark night in mid-January as I left the RCM, I mounted a portable microphone on my bike and recorded my journey back home. Most sounds recorded ā as one would expect ā were the sounds of the wind, but I found them strangely satisfying, almost hypnotic. There is something primeval about these sounds; they are simultaneously soothing and somewhat haunting.
I manipulated the sounds in various ways, resulting in a sonic experience that hopefully recreates the sensation that I experienced as I rode through the park, a sensation that I have never been so aware of as I was with my monitor earphones on (so that I could really listen attentively to what the microphone picked up).
For those with keen ears, you might find a āH-Y-D-Eā cryptogram gliding through the wind.
Owen Ho is a composer and conductor. Published by Goodmusic Publishing Ltd and listed on the CoMA Library, his music has been performed worldwide. Owen directs the Goodensemble Orchestra, a cross-conservatoire orchestra in central London. He is the Founding Artistic Director of Ensemble Matters, a group specialising in 20th-century repertoire and beyond. Owen is currently undertaking a DMus at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has a MMus (Distinction) from the RCM and a BA in Music (First Class Honours) from the University of Hong Kong.