Music from Copland House Explores the Life of Birds

On March 19, Music from Copland House presents “The Life of Birds,” a concert that explores the journeys, habits, and “personalities” of a variety of birds. The concert will feature compositions that are inspired by the sounds of the natural world. Former Manhattan School of Music President Robert Sirota will share his piece, Birds of Paradise, which evokes the bright sounds of the multi-colored birds that live deep in the rain forests of Papua, New Guinea and is paired with a film by the Cornell University Ornithological Lab of these birds in their native habitats. The program will also feature: German composer Lukas Foss’s classic Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, based on the famous eponymous poem by Wallace Stevens; Tawnie Olson‘s Meadowlark, inspired by the yellow and white birds in their natural Western environments; and a group of early 20th century songs by Amy Beach, Theodore Chanler and Charles Tomlinson Griffes. The performance will be held at 3pm at the Copland House at Merestead. For more info, visit: coplandhouse.org.

A version of this article first appeared in the March 2017 issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews. 

Photo credit: Isaac Benhesed