‘Jump’ a performance for clarinet and insect and amphibian sounds

Once upon a time in a meadow far away…the joint was jumping with life. Insects were calling, frogs croaking, the sounds of summer. But this symphony of small voices is rapidly being silenced.

A celebration of nature and a call to arms, in JUMP, field recordings of insects and amphibians become part of an exciting musical score, taking audiences on an enchanting musical journey into their world.

Written and performed by the hugely talented Karen Wimhurst, Karen introduces the audience to 9 creatures including crickets, grasshoppers and toads.

Each movement opens with a close imitation of the creature’s song, to be joined by Karen on live multi-tracked clarinet for a work that draws on classical and jazz in a hugely engaging duet.

Beautiful, vibrant videos, drawing on close up images of the amazing creatures heard in the music and created by multi-media artist Sonia Killmann, will accompany the performance.

JUMP is an act of artistic engagement with these disappearing voices, a moment of reimagining our human selves. Inspired as merely one small voice within nature’s vast soundscape.

Let’s move into a world in which we all leap, bound, hop, bounce, skip, bob, caper, trill, whirr, croak, buzz, chirp, squeak, chirrup and jump for joy with the best of them.

Many precious voices across the globe are vanishing fast. Hold on to them for dear life.

Jump is a musical collaboration between composer Karen Wimhurst, entomologist (insect expert) Peter Smithers hon. FRES and bio acoustician Charlie Woodrow.

Produced by Sound UK. Funded by Arts Council England.

Thursday 26 June 6pm 

Adult £10, Child £4, Family £20 

“JUMP is a marvellous musical rendition of the sounds of nature.”