Birdsongs!

So while in quarantine, I became much more aware of the birds and the birdsong around me.

I spent a lot of time listening to the birds singing.

I was not alone.

It was something that we began to talk about.

The beauty of birds, the joy and mysteries of birdsong.

Given that the situation in the fall of 2020 was sad, strange, and frightening, as plagues tend to be, this fascination with the birds was a magical distraction.

Thank God for the birds.

It was my colleague and friend Rebecca Reagan who had the big idea to create a collection of new pieces of music built around birdsong, with the notion that if artists created pieces of music inspired by birdsong, we could draw attention to a crisis by celebrating the beauty of birdsong.

Talking to friends, I came to better understand the profound threat to birdlife. Disappearing habitats, climate change and some broadly inhospitable activities have decimated bird populations, pushing hundreds of species to the brink of extinction.

The response was overwhelming. 172 unique pieces of music created over the course of the year. Artists I love. Artists leading to other artists. Artists talking to other artists. Every piece thoughtful and distinct. United in birdsong.

As the project was developing, we thought that it would be great if we could include some poems that would correspond with the music and asked some friends and poets and actors if they wanted to read the poems, which are interspersed among the songs. There are some poems printed in this booklet and I encourage you to read them aloud. You will enjoy it.

Grateful too for the artists who created cover art for the collection. Grateful for all those who have shared their love of nature and their commitment to the natural world. Grateful to still be learning so much!

And so we are building a community, joined to celebrate and protect the birds.

We are birds.

Randall Poster