THE BIRD ORCHESTRA Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies
A
s we emerge from another lockdown this month, many of us I hope will, on reflection, be able to find some good amongst the trauma of it all. For violinist, Rebecca Anderson-Deas and artist, Charlotte Steel, it was the chance for two old friends to collaborate on The Bird Orchestra, a book project that they were unlikely to have considered otherwise. ‘I may not have the orchestra, but I have birdsong,’ says Rebecca. In March 2020 Rebecca was about to begin practising for a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony with the Dorset Chamber Orchestra. Then came the first lockdown and the cancelling of many such an event. ‘I was feeling sad and missing playing, as I tend to practise most when I am working towards a performance, so, as compensation, I began a fierce walking regime. While I walked, I began to notice the bird song and discovered there are lots of crossovers between birds and orchestras. I thought about it further and realised that when I listen to a symphony, I can distinguish the instruments and I wanted to be able to do that with bird song.’ >
76 | Sherborne Times | April 2021
