Nick Virzi

String Quartet and Fixed Media

Composer's Note:

In the spring of 2017, I embarked on a journey through the nature preserves of Northern California in search of enchanting moments in the wild when the complex sounds of nature fall into sync like music. Hiking through valleys, mountains, forests, beaches, ridges, streams, ponds, and lakes, I traversed the landscape to record these magical moments. Songbird is a musical composition that weaves natural sounds from these field recording sessions together with music for string quartet. The string quartet becomes both an inhabitant and active participant in the soundscape, playing alongside the recorded sounds, imitating various bird species, and transforming reminders of civilization.
The natural soundscapes heard in the piece were recorded at Windy Hill Open Space Preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains. On the Lost Trail at daybreak, one can hear the magnificent dawn chorus of countless birds swirling about in a shroud of thick, pale mist, howling wind, and drizzling rain. Birdsongs used to compose the electronics were recorded at El Corte Madera Creek, Thornewood, Windy Hill, Skyline Ridge, and Loch Lomond in the Santa Cruz Mountains, as well as Pescadero Marsh on the Pacific Coast, and Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park. The diverse species include the Red-winged Blackbird, California Quail, American Coot, American Crow, Steller's Jay, Pileated Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Marsh Wren, Pacific Wren, Wild Turkeys, and Song Sparrows.Songbird invites the audience to immerse themselves in the intersection of music and nature, in which the string quartet acts as a guide through the enchanting sounds of the wild.