Open Call for Singers: Winter’s Silence - Searching for the Music of a Hibernating Forest
First Workshop 1.-2. March 2025, Hyytiälä Forest Station,
with a commitment to join the final workshop and performance in February/March 2026
Are you a singer who loves to explore new sounds, connect with nature, and experiment with your voice?
During winter, life in the forest slows down. Some creatures hibernate, while others move in barely perceptible rhythms. Together, we’ll explore how to give voice to this quiet polyphony.
Artistic researcher, composer and vocal artist Mareike Dobewall will hold a Winter’s Silence - Searching for the Music of a Hibernating
Forest together with singer, composer and choir conductor Aino
Lehtovaara, at the Hyytiälä Forest Field Station, Juupajoki, Finland during the weekend 1-2 March, 2025.
We are looking for curious and adventurous singers to join us in Winter’s Silence - Searching for the Music of a Hibernating Forest, an artistic research project that transforms
scientific insights into vocal sound.
This project builds on the nature-score method, developed by Mareike, where music is composed in response to environmental patterns. We will explore the biological rhythms of winter hibernation
and transform this knowledge into vocal compositions and performances.
The Workshop is part of Climate Whirl Arts Program and supported by Kone Foundation.
About the 16-months artistic research project “Winter’s
silence”
What to expect
During the workshop we will:
- Engage in outdoor listening exercises to attune ourselves to the rhythms of winter
- Experiment with vocal techniques inspired by the forest's winter stillness
- Explore vocal compositions informed by scientific data
Creating music based on scientific observation offers a profound way to explore our connection to these natural rhythms and invites us to reflect on new ways of being on this planet. We find it
the most beautiful challenge to find vocal expressions for sonic occurrences and non-human expression of life during winter.
Workshop & Performance Details
- Workshop 1: 1st and 2nd of March 2025 at Hyytiälä Forest Field Station
- Workshop 2 & Performances: February/March 2026 (2 days of rehearsal and 2 days of performance)
Participation in the first workshop is unpaid. Limited support for travel costs is available and a vegan lunch is covered. We have limited capacity to offer a bed in a shared room for the night of the 1st of March.
For the second workshop and performances in 2026, singers will be paid approximately €200 per day, travel costs and catering will be covered. Accommodation, if needed, only at own costs.
Who Can Apply
- Singers of any background with experience and joy in singing (no need to be a professional)
- Must be able to travel to the Hyytiälä Forest Field Station for workshops
- Open minds and a willingness to experiment with voice and sound are essential
Why Join
- Work in the beauty of a winter-forest and a research station
- Learn how scientific data can be transformed into music
- Be part of a unique vocal ensemble exploring sound and nature
How to Apply
Please send a short letter of interest through the contact form
Additional information
About the project leader Mareike Dobewall
About workshop co-leader Aino Lehtovaara
About a similar project Musica Mundana - music of stars and the Jupiter system (2021) : process and performance
