THE composer behind a new piece of classical music premiering in Greenwich is hoping to improve public understanding of genetics.

Deidre Gribben says scientists can often struggle to put their ideas across in an accessible way so her piece Hearing Your Genes Evolve seeks to do just with the DNA code.

The Belfast-born composer has spent a year working with Dr Sarah Teichmann of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge to produce 12 minutes of music.

Using printouts from the DNA codes of four individuals to create clusters of notes, Dr Gribben added the rhythm to come up with the final piece.

She told News Shopper: “I followed the code very carefully and I set myself a lot of rules.

“This was very hard for me as I am used to writing very freely.

“It’s a really tight rhythmic piece – fast and unrelenting – so I’m really looking forward to hearing it performed.”

Dr Gribben has a personal reason for writing Hearing Your Genes Evolve as her son Ethan, aged 6, has the genetic condition Down syndrome.

He will be joining his mum onstage for a 20 minute presentation before the performance, along with Dr Teichmann’s six-year-old daughter Maia.

Dr Gribben said: “It’s going to involve a lot of t-shirts and coloured hats representing a genome; the point being that we are all 99.9 per cent the same as Ethan.”

“We really want to involve the audience and make them feel they know a little more about how DNA works.”

The Smith Quartet’s rendition of the piece will be the first by a string quartet in the new performance space underneath the Cutty Sark.

Its composer says the less formal surroundings will be perfect, adding: “It’s an extraordinary space and the acoustics are fantastic.

“There is something very significant about this ship that travelled all round the world and brought people from many different places to the UK.”

Hearing Your Genes Evolve will be performed at the penultimate concert of the 2013 Royal Greenwich International String Quartet Festival – hosted by Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance – at 6.30pm on April 13.

Visit trinitylaban.ac.uk/gisqf