Let folk singer and naturalist Sam Lee take you on a narrated journey into the many worlds of the rarest of birds. For millennia, the Nightingale has been a cultural, folkloric, poetic, and mythic icon whose night song has enchanted bards and artists alike. Discover the extraordinary lifecycle and character of this most forgotten of singers through exquisite surround-sound field and ethnographic recordings, coupled with tales of our human relationship to the land as channelled through this now critically endangered species.
Sam Lee is a folksinger, song collector, activist, nature conservationist, guide, and presenter. With 4 critically acclaimed albums, his debut receiving a Mercury Music Prize nomination, he works holistically in challenging the sound and purpose of Britain’s indigenous music in the 21st Century. His latest album ‘Songdreaming' is a suite of love songs from and for the land. Sam is the producer and lead artist for many projects marrying nature, music, and community. In 2019, he was instrumental in getting birdsong to number #18 in the UK singles charts with the RSPB’s 'Let Nature Sing' track. He is the creator of the sell-out Singing With Nightingales event series which gave rise to Sam’s debut book ‘The Nightingale: Notes on a songbird’ published by Penguin in 2021.
Sam works regularly with the environmental sector to devise and lead campaigns and projects highlighting the climate and ecological crisis globally as well as at home. He is a co-founder of Music Declares Emergency and a collaborator with environmental charity Earth Percent. His practice involves leading people into a deeper, more sensitive connection to nature and communicating the treasures on our doorsteps through song and storytelling as well as immersive experiences and nature guiding.
Presented by Elmbridge Borough Council in association with Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre
Bookselling partner: Cobham Bookshop