The 11th (and last) Alfa Centauri Electronic Music Festival took place in March 2005. Amongst others, John Serrie performed on our stage, providing an hour and a half of floating spacemusic.
Hooked on the wonders of the cosmos as a youngster, who saw Sputnik tracking across the night sky, Jonn Serrie has become one of the foremost composers of Spacemusic. Ranging from classic planetarium-style deep-space excursions to elegant and romantic melodic compositions, Serrie’s many recordings have been among the most popular spacemusic releases. Jonn Serrie Space music is a cosmological odyssey in sound that expands the listener’s imagination and leaves it floating in an extended state of weightless wonder. Rarely is this experience more satisfying than when Jonn Serrie is at the controls. Serrie, the Atlanta-based composer who learned his mind-stretching craft while creating soundscapes for planetarium exhibitions, is acknowledged as one of the brightest stars in the space-music constellation. Serrie’s shimmering synthesizer textures are decidedly ambient, but with subtle bits of melody and rhythm quietly drifting in and out. The music is floating, timeless, swirling, dreamy and cosmic. His compositions traverse a spectrum between deep space excursions and pop melodies. “Spacemusic fans enjoy lengthy experiences where they can immerse themselves totally in the voyage,” explains Serrie. “The musical journey I try to create would be as if we were in a starship together moving across the universe seeing incredible sights with the music as the backdrop for our exploration.”
Jonn Serrie’s early releases grew out of his work as composer for planetarium shows. And the Stars Go With You remains a beloved classic of spacemusic, as does his Planetary Chronicles series. Among Jonn Serrie’s recent album releases are the lyrical and charismatic Lumia Nights, the warm, shimmering and curvaceous The Stargazer’s Journey and his latest, Epiphany, which bridges the gap between spacemusic and sacred hymns. In addition to his twelve albums, Serrie’s body of work includes diverse projects with Lucasfilm, IMAX, NASA, the US Navy and CNN. Serrie is also an avid live performer and has taken part in the EMMA and KLEM Dag Festivals, the Summer Solstice Spacemusic Spectacular in 2002 and the Gatherings Concert Series in 2000. 2005 finds Jonn Serrie performing at Alfa Centauri in Holland as well as returning to Philadelphia.