Students of the Conservatory in Amsterdam are composing music based on our scientific research. In September, Wouter Vansteelant, Theunis Piersma, Ondřej Belfín and Tjibbe Stelwagen gave conservatory students insight into the communication and behaviour of migratory birds. They demonstrated how black-tailed godwits exchange signals, explained the characteristic sounds spoonbills make—known as “oeken”—and shared knowledge about other aspects of bird behaviour. Besides melody and rhythm, students also learned about the ecological context and meaning of bird communication. Musicians Caspar Koolstra, Tjibbe Stelwagen and Sytze Pruiksma showed how scientific data can be translated into musical ideas and sounds.
On 12 January, the students will present their new work at ARTIS.
