Her love of music and fireworks make the light fantastic

Serena Foyle has combined her love of music with her passion for fireworks.

Few sights are as dramatic as a firework display. As the rockets soar into the sky and the Catherine wheels spin round, Serena Foyle’s eyes will be fixed on the colourful explosions but her ears are tuned to the music accompanying the display.

Her interest in the sound as well as the visual element of the displays stems from her role as a music designer for fireworks – she selects the songs, liaises with the pyrotechnic operators and works with sound engineers to produce multi-sensory events.

Although her business has only been running for 18 months, she has already choreographed displays north and south of the border and won a prize for her work in the Philippines.

Hanover in Germany is on her itinerary for May and she is in talks to mount a display in Italy too. Among her work on weddings and other private gatherings, Foyle, a scion of the famous book family, will also take part in the Festival of Fireworks at Catton Hall in Derby.

Foyle, who grew up at Carolside House, near Earlston, in the Borders, studied classical music at the University of Edinburgh.

She said: ‘I’ll often use dubstep and drum-and-bass, which can give a really dreamy feel to a display,’ explains the producer, who now divides her time between Edinburgh and London.

‘But I have also used jazz and blues and other types of music. It all just depends on where the show is and who it is for. A lot of music for fireworks displays is just one track after another, but I want to take the audience on a journey.’

This feature was originally published in 2014.

PETER RANSCOMBE