| Series |
|---|
Chatting with Opera Singer Emily Harmon on how she sees color in music
The Color Timer podcast aims to explore the world of color from the vantage point of professionals who work with color.
In today’s episode, we take a slightly different angle. We explore color through the eyes of a professional who works with music. Operatic mezzo-soprano Emily Harmon shares how music affects her vision and her extraordinary relationship with color through synesthesia.
Synesthesia: a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. – Wikipedia
I found our conversation fascinating, and it led me to question how a color grade could be shaped by the emotion of the moment, even at a subconscious level.
“Listening to Beethoven’s Nineth symphony is one of my most powerful synesthetic experiences.
Emily Harmon, Mezzo Soprano
One of the reasons it’s still so special to me is because every time I hear it, my brain conjures this image of blues and greens and gold just sort of exploding, like kind of amorphous fireworks.”
Emily shares the Harvard study on synesthesia she took part in. She discovered there’s quite a strong link between those who have perfect pitch, as she does, and other musicians who experience this phenomenon.
Another interesting aspect of Emily’s experience of color was that, consistently, different musical keys evoke specific color associations for her, and keys that share similar harmonics can mix together to create a unique internal color grade.
Between F major and A flat major, you have F minor.
Emily Harmon, Mezzo Soprano
So there are these kind of greens of F that have been darkened with the minor and then these little shoots of pink and magenta from the A flat major …
So F minor for me is like a wilting flower in that way, which is like sad, but like a really gorgeous, beautiful wilting flower.
It made me wonder how we should interpret whose abstract grades most inspire and provoke you to try new color grading techniques.
External Links
Related Mixing Light Insights
NEW: Color Timer T-Shirts!
Do you like the Color Timer logo and want to proudly display it to support the Color Timer Pod? You can now join the in-crowd!
They are available in the two glorious Color Timer colors of Gray and Black.
Head over to my Shopify page!
Chapters
Questions or Comments? Leave a comment!
Do you experience synesthesia? Or know someone who has? How does their experience of color differ from your own? I’d love to know!
– Vincent
-
Mezzo Soprano Emily Harmon On Seeing Color Harmonies In Music
-
Artist Anna Evans: We need to talk about Magenta
-
Jason Bowdach CSI: Reverse Engineering Color With A Creative Mindset
-
Interviewing The Production Designer & Art Director For ‘The Bear’
-
Matt McFarland: The Career Of A Filmic Time Traveller And ‘Forensic Colorist’
-
Artist Stuart Semple – Color as Inspiration, Performance Art, And Rebellion
-
Developer Tom Huczek Discusses Nobe Omniscope – The Color Timer Podcast
-
Interact Live And Remote With Louper.io – CEO Alex Williams
View All
