The Avian Mimics’ Summit

for SATB choir a capella

Commissioned by: Fishers High School “Electrum” (Fishers, IN); Greg Johnson, director

Work completed: February 2020

Duration: 5’

The Avian Mimics’ Summit is adapted from a poem of the same name by Peter Smith. This text tells of a gathering of avian mimics, birds which possess the ability to replicate sounds they hear (common examples include parrots, mockingbirds, and blue jays). The mimics share and discuss the sounds they’ve heard while observing human activity - the felling of trees, for instance, being compared to the sinister activities of Wall Street. Ultimately, they come to the conclusion that even if they were able to communicate their observations with humans - if they could make us aware of the ecological destruction we have wreaked - we still wouldn’t listen.

This piece comes about in an era of human history where discussions on climate change and ecological collapse are more critical than ever. The commission was first planned as news of the 2019 Amazon rainforest fires came to a public light; it was completed as bushfires destroyed unprecedented amounts of Australian wildlife in 2020. I believe that if those in charge of the world’s corporate and political powers listened to the warning messages being so clearly displayed by our planet, our long-term quality of life could be improved dramatically. Until then, we can only acknowledge that this threat is real, whether you think it is or not.

TEXT:

(Adapted from “The Avian Mimics’ Summit” (2012) by Peter Smith)

A galaxy of birds hustle young from nests as parasitic vines storm off
protesting a loyal parent's violent abandonment.
The redwood’s abdication a thunderous resounding echo
eulogising his interminable rise beneath a vow of millennial silence.

In a corner of the foyer, a mockingbird is being reprimanded
comparing a redwood’s fall to an exposed Ponzi scheme operator
whose crash took everyone for a ride as he zeroed out their life-savings.

When the keynote has been sung
and the mimicry of secret history, comedy and tragedy is all done
these worldly scoundrels: eaves-droppers, whistle-blowers
and curators of mirth and mire, sing in unison of how the world may be
if they set their entire avian archive free–
and they don’t believe a word of it.

Premiere details TBD.