Listen to the finest musicians in the land duet with the sweet sounds of the nightingale in this unique Earth Day celebration.
This broadcast went out live on 22nd April 2022. You can watch the show now on our Youtube channel.
On 22nd April, Sam Lee and special guest musicians bring Singing With Nightingales to the enchanting gardens of Master Shipwright’s Palace in London.
This one-of-a-kind event brings you breathtaking human-bird duets in an immersive outdoor theatrical experience.
Come on a journey into the world of the nightingale, guided by your host Sam Lee. Learn about this rare bird’s role in our history and folklore, and listen to a live feed of their remarkable courtship song.
Then witness the unique duets between our special guest musicians – in person and online – as they join the nightingales in a series of unforgettable musical performances.
The Nest Collective is a not-for-profit organisation, and our online programme is made possible by the generous support of our community.
If you enjoy the show, please do consider making a donation. We so appreciate any and all donations made, large or small!
An extraordinary live event
For the first time ever, we are inviting audiences to experience this show in person AND online.
Grab an in-person ticket (limited number remaining!) and join us under the stars at the beautiful riverside venue of Master Shipwright’s Palace in London.
OR
Sign up now for a free email to access the live stream – join our online community across the world, and celebrate Earth Day 2022 together with this unforgettable event.
In-person attendees please note that doors will open at 7pm, with the show starting at 8pm.
We’re delighted to say that joining Sam Lee on stage in London will be Harry Christelis and a very special guest musician.
Joining us online for duets with the nightingales will be:
Jahnavi Harrison • Musician and writer raised in a family of Bhakti-yoga practitioners
Tenzin Choegyal • Award-winning Tibetan musician
Mari Kalkun • Musician, singer and composer relying on her Southern Estonian roots
Love Ssega • British-Ugandan artist and a founding member of Clean Bandit
Moira Smiley • World-renowned singer, composer, and song-collector
Plus more to be announced!
Schedule
7pm – Doors open
8pm – Show begins
9:25pm to 9:50pm – Interval (and bonus videos for the online viewers!)
9:50pm – Show continues
11pm – On-stage part of the show finishes, online duets with the nightingales continue through to midnight.
As the evening progresses, we will bring the lighting down and relax into the incredible duets between our guest musicians and the nightingales. From 11pm onwards you’ll be hearing musicians collaborating online with live birdsong, all through the incredible 10.2 speaker system at the venue.
The whole event will finish at approximately midnight.
Immersive speaker system
We’re delighted that for this event Sounding Wild will be providing their cutting-edge 10.2 surround sound speaker system to truly immerse the in-person audience in the sounds of the nightingale’s habitat.
Further information
Each year, for a short period mid-April, a few thousand nightingales fly to southern UK from Africa. They can be heard in just a small number of special locations, taking up songful residence after dusk. The territorial males serenade loyally each night for no more than six weeks among the blackthorn and forest margins, giving unbelievable privilege to those who know where to go.
In this modern age, with biodiversity in decline and habitats being eroded, the nightingale has become representative of all that we have to lose. It is a small, brown, unremarkable-looking bird, but it possesses one of nature’s finest singing voices. The numbers visiting England have declined so sharply that it is now on the UK’s Red List of species at the greatest conservation risk.
Inspired by famous recordings of cellist Beatrice Harrison playing with a nightingale in 1924, folk singer, song collector and nature lover Sam Lee has been hosting reverent celebrations of this endangered bird each spring since 2015. The nightingale’s song, so beloved by poets and musicians from Milton to Stravinsky, is a highlight of our springtime, though there may only be precious few years left that we will get to hear him in this country.
“If you have never heard a nightingale before this will bring magic into your life” – Alan Davey (BBC Radio 3)
“It was, as promised, magical” – Dan Damon (BBC Radio 4)
“Gigs don’t come much more secret than this.” – The Guardian
“The strangest and most wonderful concert… magical and spontaneous.” – The Observer
For more information on the nightingale and its conservation please click here
Mercury Prize-nominated folk singer, conservationist, song collector, award-winning promoter, broadcaster and activist.
Learn More
Harry Christelis has established himself as a musician with a delicate and understated approach, with a focus on creating immersive sonic landscapes with a hypnotic quality.
Learn MoreLondon & Online
Master Shipwright's Palace, Watergate Street, London, SE8 3JF
Long-time fans of the Nest Collective will know this venue as the site of our summer festivals in previous years, with its spectacular riverside garden.
Can’t join us in person? Sign up for a free Live-Stream Ticket and join us live on Youtube.
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