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Sibelius (scorewriter)
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<p>Sibelius is a <a href="/facts/Scorewriter/KVVCI1xX">scorewriter</a> program developed and released by Sibelius Software (now part of <a href="/facts/Avid_Technology/rf0WrKF6">Avid</a>). Beyond creating, editing and printing music scores, it can also play the music back using sampled or synthesised sounds. It produces printed scores, and can also publish them via the Internet for others to access. Less advanced versions of Sibelius at lower prices have been released, as have various add-ons for the software. </p><p>Named after the Finnish composer <a href="/facts/Jean_Sibelius/XucKe66L">Jean Sibelius</a>, the company was founded in April 1993 by twin brothers Ben and Jonathan Finn to market the eponymous <a href="/facts/Music_notation/eubaB0AK">music notation</a> program they had created. It went on to develop and distribute various other music software products, particularly for education. In addition to its head office in Cambridge and subsequently London, Sibelius Software opened offices in the US, Australia and Japan, with distributors and dealers in many other countries worldwide. The company won numerous awards, including the <a href="/facts/Queen%2527s_Awards_for_Enterprise/jGxgB65M">Queen's Award</a> for Innovation in 2005. </p><p>In August 2006 the company was acquired by <a href="/facts/Avid_Technology/rf0WrKF6">Avid</a>, to become part of its <a href="/facts/Digidesign/fFlknC93">Digidesign</a> division, which also manufactures the <a href="/facts/Digital_audio_workstation/suXVXzKT">digital audio workstation</a> <a href="/facts/Pro_Tools/0dASXmcx">Pro Tools</a>. In July 2012, Avid announced plans to divest its consumer businesses, closed the Sibelius London office, and removed the original development team, despite a 11,590-strong <a href="/facts/Derek_Williams_(musician)/5z9yYE2g">'Save Sibelius' petition</a> spearheading a campaign led by <a href="/facts/Derek_Williams_(musician)/5z9yYE2g">Derek Williams</a> that included extensive protests on Facebook and elsewhere. Avid subsequently recruited new programmers to continue the development of Sibelius, and <a href="/facts/Steinberg/0zklBzNE">Steinberg</a> hired most of the former Sibelius team to create a competing software, <a href="/facts/Dorico/6rV68KrC">Dorico</a>. </p>