one thousand birds symphony

‘one thousand birds symphony is a majestic collection of film footage captured on location in deepest darkest Devon (UK) and digital artwork accompanied by symphonic compositions and arrangements mixed with field recordings of dawn choruses and solo birdsong created during lockdown by British art-rock artist GRICE.
Full soundtrack: https://hungersleeprecords.bandcamp.com/album/one-thousand-birds-symphony

Awards & Nominations:
Winner - Best Music Feature - Mykonos International Film Awards (Greece)
Winner - Arthouse Short Film - Sipontum Arthouse International Film Festival (Italy)
Winner - Best Original Music Score - Cine Paris Film Festival (France)
Semi-finalist - (Wildlife & Environment) - UFFS Universal Film Festival Samothraki, Greece
Semi-finalist - Best First Music Video - Sweden Film Awards
Official selection - Golden Soundtrack - Golden Short Film Festival (Italy)
Official selection - Music Videos - London Lift-Off Film Festival (UK)
Official selection - First-Time Filmmaker Sessions @ Pinewood Studios (UK)
Official selection - Music Videos - Garofano Rosso FIlm Festival (Italy)
Official selection - Best First Time Director - Mykonos International Film Awards (Greece)
Official selection - Garofano Rosso FIlm Festival
Special Mention - United Kingdom Music Video Festival
Finalist - World Class Film Awards - Best Original Score
Official Selection - English Riviera Film Festival -

‘one thousand birds symphony’ was created in The Shire at a time of disintegration and emotional derailment where human activity was for the most part suspended leaving a deafening silence, a sacred space filled with intricate birdsong and the exquisite voices of a thousand feathered choristers.

Constructed around field recordings of individual birdsong and exquisite choruses made from dawn 'til dusk inter-laced with thematic melodies and arrangements from the One Thousand Birds album.

“The philosophy of birds - their iridescence, endurance, vulnerability and strength and their musical integrity is something to behold. This music is dedicated to the birds, the true masters in the art of life (and flying). These are my letters from isolation and this my tribute to the birds. Their majesty saved me from myself and I owe them much. May there always be birdsong above the battlefields.” G

The compositions are enhanced by an iridescent cast of musicians who join the sonic murmuration including Richard Barbieri (sonic innovator from art-rock pioneers ‘Japan’ and keyboardist in Grammy award nominated band ‘Porcupine Tree’) who populates the virtual forest with his unique analogue bird sounds (created on the System 700) and Italian avant-garde, freeform jazz trumpeter Luca Calabrese. Sax legend Raphael Ravenscroft (Pink Floyd/Gerry Rafferty) and Egyptian percussionist Hossam Ramzy (Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin) also make an appearance, both of whom are sadly no longer with us.

The Birds (in order of appearance):
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Coal tit (Pariparus ater)
Long tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Gold finch (Carduelis carduelis)
Cockerel (Gallus)
Tawny owl (Strix aluco)
Pigeon (Columbidae)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
Woodpecker (Picidae)
House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
Raven (Corvus corax)
Magpie (Pica pica)
Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Starling (Sturnidae)
Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Red Kite (Milvus milvus)

The Musicians:
GRICE - acoustic & electric guitars, keys, piano, percussion,
vocals, programming, sound design, bird mangling
Duncan Chave - sound design, bird warping
Eliza Carew - cello
Al Swainger - bass guitars, pedals, french horn
Fred Ehresmann - piano
Luca Calabrese - trumpet

Field recordings and Filming by GRICE
(various locations in the Shire, UK)
Composed, arranged and produced by GRICE
Mixed by GRICE
'dawn chorale' mixed by Duncan Chave
Mastered by Duncan Chave
Artwork - GRICE
Video trailer & Short Film by GRICE

Additional sonic Contributions:
Richard Barbieri
Steve Jansen
Raphael Ravenscroft
Hossam Ramzy
Marco Maggiore
Ondrej Pochyly
Jack Lawrence

Additional bird recordings courtesy of: Duncan Chave
Special Thanks:
Judi Hawkins - murmuration footage
Dan Wiseman - murmuration footage & logos
Carl Bovis - bird footage
Duncan Chave - bird conversation
Maria Καμπα Peters - bird research, bibliography & artist support

Reference & Bibliography:
Conder, P. (1966) British Garden Birds, Record Books Limited, London in collaboration with The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, London.
Dickinson, E. (1861) Hope is the Thing with Feathers from The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, edited by Thomas H. Johnson, ed., Cambridge
Dubois P. J. & Rouseau E. (2019) A Short Philosophy of Birds, WH Allen, London.
Fitter R. S. R. (1952) The Pocket Guide to British Birds, Collins, London.
Haupt, L. L. (2017) Mozart’s Starlings, Little, Brown and Company, USA.
Lewis-Stempel J. (2017) Where Poppies Blow, Weidenfeld `& Nicolson, London.
Readers Digest (1969) Book of British Birds, Drive Publications Ltd, London.
Schaffer, R. M. (1977) The Soundscape: our sonic environment and the tuning of the world, Knopf, New York.
Xeno-canto: a fabulous resource and website dedicated to sharing bird sounds from all over the world. www.xeno-canto.org

Part of this project is supported by Arts Council England (ERF)
First screened/production date: May 2022

GRICE
Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and producer GRICE has the highest of praise from the likes of Tom Robinson (BBC Radio 6 Music) and has gained recognition within progressive artrock circles resulting in successful collaborations with instrumental luminaries such as Raphael Ravenscroft (Pink Floyd, Vangelis/Blade Runner), Richard Barbieri (Japan, Porcupine-Tree) and more. He has released 5 studio albums and has an impressive catalogue of his music used in documentaries and films including (BBC2 & BBC Worldwide: William and Kate - A Royal Engagement), Black Diamond films, MTV and MICA by Ismael Ferroukhi.