A Concert for the Birds

A host of songbirds took up residence in a 13th-century chapel. Every hour, a concert pianist performed music inspired by their song.

‘An exquisite melding of nature and art.’  The Guardian

Artist Annika Kahrs invited you to take a seat amidst an audience of songbirds for an enchanting recital of one of Franz Liszt’s best-loved piano solos – Preaching to the Birds. A Concert for the Birds was Kahrs’ first public artwork, a development of the artist’s practice, which explores music as a means of transforming behaviour and creating intimacy in public situations. Staged in one of Bristol’s oldest and most intimate chapels, the installation featured over 70 songbirds listening to hourly recitals. Chance harmonies and discords between piano and bird unfolded as melody and twitters intertwined.