East African sunbirds have been singing the same song for a million years. The ancestors of Kenyan composer and sound artist Nyokabi Kariũki must therefore have heard their song continuously when they, in pre-colonial times, also passed on their knowledge orally, in the form of song and music. In her performance Birdsongs from Kĩrĩnyaga in collaboration with the Cello Octet Amsterdam, Kariũki takes voice and field recordings to explore the rich interplay between nature and human heritage.
The Amsterdam Cello Octet is an adventurous collective of cellists, who have previously collaborated with composers such as Philip Glass, Sofia Gubaidulina, Arvo Pärt, Theo Loevendie and Michael Gordon. In 2022, Gaudeamus paired the octet with Nyokabi to perform pieces from her debut EP peace places: Kenyan memories live. The collaboration was so successful that they took the initiative for this follow-up project themselves. This same evening the octet will also give a concert with Nana Adjoa.
UITVOERENDEN
Alistair Sung, Claire Bleumer, Esther Torrenga, Geneviève Verhage, Rares Mihâilescu, René van Munster, Sanne Bijker en Sanne van der Horst - cello
Nyokabi Kariũki - stem