DNA in song

The BBC reports today that a new choral work is about to be unveiled in which the performers sing their own genetic code.

“I’d sung quite a lot with choirs in my youth and I’ve written stuff myself, and so I was aware that note sequences look a little bit like genetic sequences,” musician Andrew Morley said.

To get the job, of course, each of the 40 members of the choir had to agree to have their DNA decoded, which must raise all sorts of interesting questions for discussions wherever attorneys have their “happy hour.”

For example, does an employment process that hinges on revealing your DNA code violate privacy laws? Are you a musician? Or a research subject?

You can listen to the work here. It sounds very much like birds before sunrise.