{"id":79905,"date":"2018-05-15T18:28:43","date_gmt":"2018-05-16T04:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=79905"},"modified":"2021-03-31T16:52:49","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T02:52:49","slug":"symphony-of-the-hawaiian-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/15\/symphony-of-the-hawaiian-birds\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising awareness of Hawaiian forest birds through art and music"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds concert, photo: Philip Kitamura<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Image from Vanished Voices: a farewell to the Oʻo<\/span><\/em>, animation by Kayla Abalos and Jeanine Higa; music by Takuma Itoh. View the full animation with a computer-generated mockup of orchestral score<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Few Hawaiʻi<\/span> residents have seen or heard one of Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s native forest birds, but a partnership between the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> and the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Symphony Orchestra<\/a> aims to introduce the birds to the next generation through music and art.<\/p>\n

The Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds<\/a> is a multidisciplinary effort to educate elementary and secondary students on Oʻahu<\/span> about Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s endangered native bird species and the importance of conservation efforts.<\/p>\n

“The sound of extinction isn\u2019t silence, but a decrease in complexity as species, or variations on a theme, disappear,” said Melissa Price<\/a><\/strong>, assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management<\/a>. “Whether cars and city noise or the sound of introduced species, the sounds of the extinct species are often replaced.”<\/p>\n

On May 9, an educational concert by the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Symphony Orchestra brought together approximately 3,000 students, teachers, parents, scientists, educators, composers, artists and conservationists to celebrate Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s endangered native forest birds and hear their songs.<\/p>\n

Composers worked with visual artists to create six new movements partnered with video and animation all illustrating Hawaiian forest birds.<\/p>\n

“We delved into the subject, appreciating the specific nature and characteristics of these endangered and extinct birds that we were tasked to bring to life through animation,” said Laura Margulies<\/a><\/strong>, lecturer in the Academy for Creative Media System<\/a> and one of the artists for the project. “Not only did the keiki become enriched, the artists did as well.”<\/p>\n