David Ibbett, Ph.D. is a composer, educator and musical advocate for science. Based in Boston, he is a Professor at WPI and directs the Multiverse Concert Series, a project that combines music and science in live performance. His lifelong passion for science began with his father, Dr. Roger Ibbett, who is a research chemist in Nottingham, UK
In 2020, David was the first Guest Composer at Fermilab, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
In 2023, David was named the first Resident Composer at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.
Read about David’s work in Nature “The Sound of Stars”
David composes electrosymphonic music: a fusion of classical and electronic styles that interweaves influences from songs, symphonies, pop, rock and electronica. Musical strands are met with inspiration from the work of scientists: sonified data, musical metaphors for scientific concepts, and experimental sound and images from contemporary research.
In all projects, David seeks a deep collaboration with musicians, scientists, artists and performers. He has worked with physicists (Dr. Mathew Kleban, NYU), biologists (Dr. Paul Garrity, Brandeis), engineers (Dr. Irmgard Bischofberger, MIT), sociologists (Dr. Clara Han, Johns Hopkins), astrophysicists (Dr. Priya Natarajan, Yale) and oceanographers (Dr. Sarah Davies, BU). Recent works include Cellular Dance (2019) a ballet on a theme of cell movement with biologist Alexey Veraksa of UMass Boston, Octave of Light (2020) an album of exoplanet music with Roy Gould of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Black Hole Symphony (2022) an orchestral journey to the heart of a black hole galaxy for the Charles Hayden Planetarium, Museum of Science, Boston.
David studied at Clare College Cambridge with Giles Swayne, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Julian Anderson, and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Birmingham (UK) with Jonty Harrison and Scott Wilson. His fascination with electronic music began in 2008 when he undertook a residency at the Aldeburgh Music Festival with Jonathan Harvey – an inspirational teacher and pioneer in the field. In 2014 he moved from London to Boston, USA, where he lives with his wife Sarah, son Lawrence and daughter Eleanor.
David mentors young composers at his home studio Ibbett Music. His students have performed at Yamaha’s NJOC, the BBC Proms, and placed first in the MMTA composition competition in State and Regional levels.
Prospective students can visit the Lessons page for more information.
David’s music has been performed with:
Music Festivals and Concert Series
Aldeburgh Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Barbican Total Immersion, Noisegate Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, National Sawdust, Nonclassical, Banff Centre Encounters series, Wigmore Hall, BEAST concert series, Spitalfields Festival, Logos Foundation, NYCEMF Festival, SEAMUS, EMM Festival, BEAMS Marathon, International Horn Society Conference, Klangspuren Festival Austria, Music Under the Dome, Original Gravity Concert series, Music of Reality, Seven Bridges Project, City of London Festival, Bath Festival, Mapmaking at LSO St Luke's, Faster Than Sound concert series, Multiverse Concert Series.
New Music Ensembles
BBC Symphony Orchestra Octet, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Hermes Ensemble, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Living Room in London Ensemble, Transient Canvas, Boston Percussion Group, Aeolian Progression, Early Music Experiment, Riot Ensemble, Tre Voci cello ensemble, Birmingham University Contemporary Ensemble, Workers Union Ensemble, Guildhall Contemporary Orchestra