Plymouth University has been celebrating it 150th birthday with a series events, such as gathering 1,750 people on Plymouth Hoe for the commemorative photo above. (MORE PHOTOS HERE).

For a concert this Saturday 27th, and a commemorative CD, the university has commissioned five new musical works. (MORE DETAILS). These commissions include So above, as below by BAFTA award winning composer Nick Ryan who will also give an introductory lecture, and  Five Voyages by Mike Westbrook and Kate Westbrook.

Mike Westbrook writes:

“To mark the origins of the University of Plymouth as a School of Navigation, we made the starting point for our song a sea crossing. The simple words take the form of five prayers, which move from the origins of life itself to a death at sea. Cycles, as of tides, waves and weather, are embedded in the sequence of piano chords.”