As announced last week, Björk's ten-show Biophilia residency in New York, featuring a set of unique musical instruments and a 24-piece Icelandic choir, will include six performances at the New York Hall of Science, New York City’s only hands-on science and technology museum, and four performances at Roseland in Manhattan. In addition to the live performances, Björk will collaborate with the New York Hall of Science on a four-week Biophilia children's educational program. You can watch a video about the latter below.

To help support this effort, Björk is offering a limited number of VIP packages designed to deliver the most intimate Biophilia experience. Presale for all tickets and packages begin today at Ticketmaster, where tickets go on sale to the general public Friday morning at 10 AM EST. The password for today's presale is Biophilia Live.

Please note: VIP packages must be picked up at the door. You must bring your ID and the credit card you used, and they must match. VIP packages cannot be gifted unless the credit card owner is present at the door.

The New York Biophilia residency is presented in partnership with The Creators Project and the New York Hall of Science. Biophilia premiered this past summer at the Manchester International Festival (MIF) in England in what the Wall Street Journal called "a magical evening," followed by a sold out residency in Björk’s hometown of Reykjavik, Iceland. Initially commissioned by MIF, the intimate performance finds Björk accompanied by a set of unique musical instruments created by a team including an Icelandic organ builder and a graduate of the MIT Media Lab. Among these creations are four ten-foot pendulum-harps, a MIDI-controlled pipe organ celeste re-fitted with bronze gamelan bars, and twin musical tesla coils. The performance also features an award-winning 24-piece Icelandic female choir and visuals from the Biophilia Apps with app developer Max Weisel performing on stage alongside Björk and musicians Manu Delago and Zeena Parkins.

Each New York performance will feature songs from Biophilia, Björk’s most interdisciplinary project to date. Stereogum says that “Biophilia is one of 2011’s best releases … [T]he songwriting is sharp, the feel immediate and enveloping.” The ten-track album, out now on One Little Indian / Nonesuch Records, is available digitally, in CD format and on vinyl, all of which can be found in the Nonesuch Store.

The Biophilia education component featuring interactive science and music workshops for middle-school children, the series leads students on an intensive study of the scientific concepts at the core of Biophilia’s songs, including crystalline structures, lunar phases, viruses, and more. Students will also learn to use the Biophilia Apps as tools for music composition and delve into the study of how music relates to nature. The city of Reykjavik has just announced that the Biophilia educational project will be include in Reykjavik's school curriculum for the next three years. The series debuted at the Manchester International Festival, and a version of the program will also tour to major European festivals including Roskilde, Oyez, and the iTunes Festival in London. See it in action here:

Biophilia Educational Program in Iceland 2011 from Biophilia Educational Program on Vimeo.