Georgina Born facts for kids

Georgina Born is a British professor, scientist, and musician. She is also known by her nickname, Georgie Born. She is famous for her work as a musician in bands like Henry Cow and for her studies on how music, television, and technology affect our culture.

Early Life and Family

Georgina Born was born in Wheatley, a village in Oxfordshire, England. She comes from a very famous family. Her grandfather was Max Born, a physicist who won a Nobel Prize. Her father was Gustav Born, a well-known scientist. She is also the cousin of the famous pop singer and actress Olivia Newton-John.

As a young student, Born went to special schools for music, like the Purcell School in London.

A Career in Music

Georgie Born was a talented musician from a young age. She studied the cello and piano at the famous Royal College of Music in London. She played with many different musical groups, including the Michael Nyman Band and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.

Joining Henry Cow

In 1976, Born's life changed when she joined the rock band Henry Cow. She played the bass guitar and cello for the group. Henry Cow was known for its experimental and unique style of music, called avant-rock. For two years, she toured all over Europe with the band, performing in many shows.

Working with Other Musicians

After leaving Henry Cow, Born continued to work with many other musicians and bands. She often played with her former bandmate, Lindsay Cooper. She was also a member of the bands National Health and Bruford.

She was known for her amazing cello playing in the Mike Westbrook Orchestra. In 1977, she helped start the Feminist Improvising Group with other female musicians. This group was known for creating music on the spot, a style called improvisation.

During the 1980s, she also played on the soundtracks for many TV shows and movies.

A Shift to Academia

Besides being a musician, Georgina Born was also very interested in science and learning. She went to University College London and earned a PhD in anthropology. Anthropology is the study of people and their cultures.

Her first job as a professor was at Brunel University. Later, she taught at Goldsmiths' College and then became a professor at the famous University of Cambridge.

In 2010, she moved to the University of Oxford to lead a big research project. The project looked at how digital technology, like computers and the internet, was changing music. In 2014, she was elected a Fellow of the British Academy, which is a huge honor for scholars in the UK.

Her Big Ideas and Research

Professor Born is known for using a special research method called ethnography. This means she studies groups of people by spending time with them to understand how they live and work. She has used this method to study music, television, and technology.

Studying the BBC

One of her most famous projects was a study of the BBC, the UK's public television and radio service. She spent time inside the BBC to see how it was changing. She wrote a book about her findings called Uncertain Vision.

Her book explained how the BBC was starting to act more like a business. She argued that this focus on money and ratings was changing the types of shows being made. She worried that the BBC might be losing its main goal: to create a wide variety of high-quality programs for everyone.

Music and Technology

Born has also done a lot of research on how technology has changed music. She studied IRCAM, a French music research center founded by the composer Pierre Boulez. She looked at how computers were being used to create new kinds of music.

Her work helps us understand how culture is made. She looks at how artists create their work and how big companies, like TV stations, influence what we see and hear.

Honors and Awards

For her important work in music and education, Georgina Born has received many awards.

• In 2016, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen.
• In 2024, she won the Guido Adler Prize from the International Musicological Society for her lifetime achievements in music research.

Selected Discography

Here are some of the famous albums Georgie Born played on:

With Henry Cow

• Western Culture (1979)

With Art Bears

• Hopes and Fears (1978)

With National Health

• Of Queues and Cures (1978)

With Bruford

• Gradually Going Tornado (1980)

With Mike Westbrook

• The Cortege (1982)
• On Duke's Birthday (1985)

With Lindsay Cooper

• Rags (1981)
• The Golddiggers (1983)

With The Raincoats

• Odyshape (1981)