Found Sound for April: Singing with Nightingales
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This episode of 'As the Season Turns' presents a deeply immersive found sound experience titled 'Singing with Nightingales,' curated by musician and sound artist Alice Boyd. Centered on a live evening event in East Sussex, the episode captures the magic of gathering with nature and music under the night sky. Hosted by Sam Lee, founder of the project, the experience brings together audiences, musicians, and the wild nightingales in a unique act of interspecies collaboration. Through intimate field recordings, personal reflections, and performances—most notably by Palestinian singer Meera Awad—the episode weaves together themes of connection, conservation, and cultural memory. The event is not just a celebration of birdsong but a ritual of presence, healing, and ecological responsibility, inviting listeners to reflect on their place in a fragile, beautiful world.
Singing with Nightingales creates a sacred space where human music and bird song co-create in real time, fostering deep emotional and spiritual connection.
The project blends conservation, community, and artistry—proving that cultural practices can be powerful tools for environmental stewardship.
Meera Awad’s performance brings voices of peace and solidarity from conflict-affected regions, challenging narratives of division with stories of resilience and unity.
The event’s silent, dark walk into the woods serves as a transformative threshold, helping participants reconnect with ancestral rhythms and the courage of moving through uncertainty.
Nightengales are not just symbols of beauty but indicators of ecological health—highlighting the urgent need for habitat preservation amid climate change.
…and 2 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Introduction to Found Sound for April
“You may wish to pause the podcast here for a moment. While you find somewhere warm and quiet, to close your eyes, sit back and settle down into this month's found sound.”
Arrival in the Woodland and the Nightingale's Return
Sam Lee describes the setting—a hornbeam oak coppice in East Sussex—where nightingales have just returned for their spring singing season, creating a rare and intimate sonic environment.
The Art of Singing with Nightingales
“We can get with sensitivity very close to an exceptionally loud bird and cross a kind of threshold into what becomes not one species communicating, conversing with another but just artists in the dark creatively connecting and sharing a common language of music.”
Origins and Evolution of the Project
Sam recounts the origins of Singing with Nightingales, inspired by a 1924 BBC recording of Beatrice Harrison playing with a nightingale, and traces its growth from a small radio documentary to a large-scale, community-driven event.
Meera Awad: Voice of Peace from the Middle East
“I want to remind us that there are so many people back there working together to build bridges despite all the difficulties right now, despite all the bloodshed.”
“I want to remind us that there are so many people back there working together to build bridges despite all the difficulties right now, despite all the bloodshed.”
“We can get with sensitivity very close to an exceptionally loud bird and cross a kind of threshold into what becomes not one species communicating, conversing with another but just artists in the dark creatively connecting and sharing a common language of music.”
“I don't know a lot of musicians who would wish for their songs to stop being relevant, but I actually write those kind of war songs where I'm like saying, when are we going to stop needing these songs?”
Host
Guests
Sam Lee
person
Singing with Nightingales
organization
Meera Awad
person
Alice Boyd
person
Fern Podcast
media
East Sussex
place
Beatrice Harrison
person
Lisa Knapp
person
Catriona Bolt
person
Barkham
place
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