The Nest Collective announces the 2023 series of Singing With Nightingales

Singing With Nightingales

This spring The Nest Collective are delighted to be hosting over 35 events in the woods of Sussex and Gloucestershire.

The Nest Collective are all about inviting people to discover extraordinary music, rekindling connections with nature and tradition. Singing With Nightingales is the ultimate example of that, taking small groups of intrepid attendees into the woods to hear extraordinary duets between the finest folk musicians and the rare bird himself, the nightingale.

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.

Developed by folk singer Sam Lee, the Singing With Nightingales series invites audiences to partake in this singular celebration of spring – the return of life to the land – soundtracked by its most decorated singer. Quite simply, it’s a spectacular opportunity to connect with nature in the most time-honoured of ways.

The Spring 2023 programme kicks off on 12th April with a special free online-only live streamed event: Homecoming. Join us as we celebrate the return of the nightingales to UK shores with this audio pilgrimage, hosted by Sam Lee.

The highlight of the entire programme is the Singing With Nightingales Festival. Taking place over three days from 28th April, audiences will enjoy extraordinary music, learn about nature and the nightingales in a series of incredible workshops, and witness spellbinding duets between our guest musicians and the rare birds’ virtuosic night-song in a one-of-a-kind midnight safari.

Special guest musicians joining throughout the programme include Stornoway’s Brian Briggs, Fyfe Dangerfield, Alice Zawadzki, Justin Adams, Bev Lee Harling, Eska, Anna Mudeka, Saied Silbak, Yijia, Pete Judge, and many more.

For further info and the full programme: https://thenestcollective.co.uk/includes/singing-with-nightingales

We couldn’t resist this: