City of Culture takes it to the bridge

Hull’s Humber Bridge is to be turned into a giant musical instrument as part of its 2017 City of Culture celebrations.

The UK’s longest single span suspension bridge will be transformed into a living, breathing piece of music thanks to Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen and collaborators Jan Bang and Eivind Arset who are being commissioned as its musicians in residence.

In addition, the real-life sounds of the bridge – from the traffic on it to the wind whistling around it – will be captured by Hull-based sound artist Jez Riley French and performed by the orchestra and chorus of Opera North. Visitors will be able to listen to the results through headphones as they walk across the bridge next April.

The announcement comes as culture bosses reveal the full programme of events for the first three months of 2017. 

In other events, sound artist Peter Cusack will be encouraging people to share their favourite sounds of Hull, while the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra will be presenting a classical symphonic programme featuring the world premiere of a new work by composer Karl Jenkins, written in celebration of Hull and the City Hall.

And for the first time, classic David Bowie album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, will be played live in full by a super-group including original Spider Woody Woodmansey and producer Tony Visconti.