Coloratura is an interactive musical instrument that lets you paint with sound. Created by Kansas City-based artist and musician Camry Ivory, it uses custom-built electronic paintbrushes that trigger musical notes when they touch a conductive canvas.

Each brush is linked to a specific color and note, allowing you to create music and visual art at the same time and explore the relationship between color and sound.

‘Coloratura’ [cuh-luh-rah-TOO-rah] is an Italian word meaning “coloring” or “to color.”

In classical music and opera, a “coloratura soprano” is a singer who uses expressive flourishes, like quick melodic runs and vocal trills. to decorate a melody with their voice. It’s similar to how a painter uses brushstrokes to add color and depth to a canvas.

Many of the words we use in both music and visual art (like tone, harmony, composition, and texture) overlap, so the name ‘Coloratura’ reflects this blending of disciplines.

Coloratura works through a blend of electronics, a bit of behind-the-scenes tech magic, and lots of wires!

Each paintbrush is wired to a circuit board that sends a wireless signal to a computer when the brush touches the canvas. That signal triggers a musical note, just like a remote control turns on a TV or adjusts the volume.

I use music production software to select each sound and layer multiple notes into a full musical composition in real time.

My background is in music, but I’ve always been curious about the connection between sound and image. I’m especially fascinated by synesthesia, a sensory condition that allows some people to naturally see colors when they hear music, or hear sounds when they see images.

I don’t have synesthesia, but I wanted to build something that could replicate that experience. Coloratura started as an experiment, but it's grown into a tool for creative expression, performance, and connection.

Figuring out which colors matched which notes was one of the trickiest parts of building Coloratura. I began by experimenting with color-sound systems developed by people like Isaac Newton, composer Alexander Scriabin, and other artists and musicians, but the results didn’t always feel right visually or musically.

Eventually, I adapted a system created by artist Steve Zieverink, who explored the parallels between light waves and sound frequencies. His scale created the most satisfying harmony between what I saw and what I heard, so Coloratura’s final note-color pairings are based on a modified version of his system.

Yes! Coloratura is a fully functional instrument that I use in live audiovisual performances and art-making sessions. Each performance is recorded, and when I display the resulting artwork, I include a QR code that links to the performance — so viewers can see and hear how the piece was made.

You can watch performances and soundscapes in the 'soundscapes' section of my website.

Not at all! Coloratura is designed to be a fun, accessible, judgement-free way for people of all ages and abilities to explore their creativity.

Coloratura can be used by people ages 2 to 102, by professional artists/musicians or people who don't consider themselves artistic or musical at all. Just jump in and play!

Absolutely! I regularly lead hands-on workshops and creative play sessions for schools, libraries, parties, team-building events and fundraisers. If you’re interested in hosting a Coloratura session, just fill out the event interest form on my site, and I’ll follow up with you directly.

Not yet, but I’m working on it! I’m currently exploring ways to offer Coloratura kits for schools, therapy programs, and home use.

If you’d like to stay in the loop about availability or pre-orders, be sure to sign up for the mailing list.

I’m currently developing new ways for artists, musicians, educators, and therapists to use Coloratura in their own practices. I’m especially interested in its potential as a therapeutic tool for art/music therapists and an educational tool for STEM/STEAM teachers.

If you’re interested in collaborating, testing new features, or supporting the future development of this project, I’d love to hear from you! You can email me at camryivory@gmail.com or fill out the contact form below.