The Hermes Experiment: The Migration of Birds

In this performance, ornithologist Peter Holden’s lifetime of field knowledge and four decades of photography meet the imaginative visual world of artist Andy Holden and the musical ingenuity of contemporary quartet The Hermes Experiment.

Every year, birds cross oceans and continents on journeys that continue to astonish scientists. But almost half (45%) of the world’s migratory bird species are now in decline, according to a new assessment from BirdLife International, which warns that one in nine migratory species is threatened with extinction.

Narrated by Peter and created in collaboration with Andy, this sweeping live experience traces humanity’s attempts to explain why birds disappear and return, from fantastical early theories and the discovery of the ‘Arrow Stork’ to modern advances in ringing, radar and satellite tracking.

A newly composed score, created and performed by the acclaimed musicians of The Hermes Experiment, weaves melodic themes, graphic notation and improvisation through the richly illustrated lecture.

Celebrating both what we know and what remains mysterious, the concert explores the wonder, danger and ecological necessity of migration. The programme also features works by Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre and Abel Selaocoe.

Tickets: from £24