THE Nave of York Minster is empty of seats temporarily, but for one day it will be filled with a "striking, magical exploration of sound and space that invites you to think again about the church organ, the mighty emperor of instruments".

In a joint project between the SightSonic digital arts festival, Touch Records and the University of York Concert Series, Spire Live combines landmark classical pieces and pioneering compositions tomorrow.

International musicians and composers, including Charles Matthews, organ, Marcus Davidson, organ and piano, and operatic tenor Robert Millner, perform new works by Davidson and music by Gorecki, Part and Durufl. BJ Nilsen, electronics, combines real and organ sampled sounds to create a thunderous sound; Christian Fennesz fuses organ tones and laptop electronics into an ethereal chorus; and Philip Jeck makes turntable collages with organ sources from liturgy to rock and beyond.

The voices of John Beaumont and Rosalind Waters feature, too; the Minster Bell Ringers play in the West Tower before the 7pm concert; and in the afternoon, from 2pm to 5pm, Leif Inge's time-stretched installation of Bach's Toccata and Fugue will be playing in the Crypt.

Organist Marcus Davidson had his first taste of the Minster on a preparatory visit in October. "I've just walked around and I felt totally energised and inspired, " he said immediately afterwards.

"I'm completely in awe of it, and it's going to be our biggest event yet. We're so excited by this opportunity. For an organist it's exactly what you're looking for: you have the chance to play something very loud and you can come up with great effects, and it's fantastic being up in the organ eyrie. You must be 30ft up, and it's a terrific view.

"We'll be trying to use the full space and acoustics of the Minster in our pieces, and for one of mine, I'll have three singers placed in various spaces around the church."

Philip Jeck, the Liverpool toreador of the turntable, is excited by the sonic possibilities of the Minster.

"It's an opportunity to play with a big sound in a spacious setting clear of chairs, " he says. "All the records I'll use are from junk shops or have been thrown away, or people have come up to me at performances with a bag of them.

The record players I've mostly bought at car boot sales, and there are two that I bought where the postage cost more than the record player.

"I use record players that were made in the late Fifties, maybe early Sixties, because I really like the sound, and they have four speeds: 78, 45, 33 and 16, which was the speed for Learning Language records.

"What I do is make music from the things people have chucked away and would otherwise be in a landfill. For Spire, because it explores organ music, I'll be using organ pieces, but not just Bach and Mozart or the Hammond organ, but the theme from Star Wars or whatever. There's no record I don't feel I can use!"

Tickets: £14, concessions £13, on 01904 432439 or on the door.