Life in the Universe​ was produced to accompany a 25 minute video assembled by the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre that led an examination of the various parts of the known universe likely to harbour life or the elements necessary for the origination of life as we know it. The main motif ‘A-A-C’ first heard via the vibraphone serves as a cryptogram for the element H20 (H-O-O), one of the most vital ingredients for organic life. Other traditional effects such as recurring dotted rhythms and hair pinned dynamics or crescendos and diminuendos streak the work to underlie the constant movement throughout the video.

The Life in the Universe score is fundamentally programmatic, reflecting in pace and mood the planetarium-born visuals. As we fly through the Milky Way, hurtle past exoplanets, stop for a view from the surface of a fictitious planet, and then enter our own solar system, passing the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, we finally arrive at planet Earth, source of all known life. ​Life in the Universe​ was premiered on October 19th, 2018 at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Star Theatre in celebration of the museum’s 50th anniversary.