EarthSonic Live
EarthSonic Live was an all day and evening event of talks, workshops and unique performances sharing the stories of nature, climate, and biodiversity through music.
Over 3,000 people joined us to take part in sessions in sampling the sounds of nature to making music, see talks from artists, conservationists and activists using creativity to support both environmental and human health, and experience performances of some of the most forward-thinking artists working with nature sounds.
A huge thank you to Wellcome Trust, Arts Council England and Ableton for supporting the event, to Manchester Museum for hosting us, and to the many artists, activists, scientists, conservationists, organisations and more who helped make it happen.
Scroll to see the full timetable of events we had for the day, or sign up to our newsletter here for updates on future EarthSonic Live events.
Event timetable
Beyond 'just' climate action: creativity, culture and preservation with 100 Agents of Change
10:30 - 11:00
Kanaris Lecture Theatre
A conversation exploring the 100 Agents journey, the synergies between their work, and how different art forms can be used to preserve community and culture. We’ll discuss how this becomes a powerful form of storytelling in the face of community loss and the impacts of the climate crisis — with a link to Takkuuk.
The music hiding in everyday sounds with Paul Cheese
11:10 - 11:25
Kanaris Lecture Theatre
Is there something sonically, that links everything together? Over the years, I’ve cycled across the world, collecting thousands of sounds and creating music from them. And the more I listen, the more I realise that certain notes and tempos appear consistently across nature, industry, people, and places.
Tree Equity with The Woodland Trust
11:35 - 11:50
Kanaris Lecture Theatre
Millions of people live in urban communities with poor access to greenspace and the benefits of trees. Staff from the Woodland Trust will talk about new research into disparities in urban tree cover in UK towns and cities. Staff from the Woodland Trust will talk about new research into disparities in urban tree cover in UK towns and cities.
Activism in the community with The Medlock Valley Project, MUD, The Portland Inn and Emma Honeyford
12:00 - 12:30
Kanaris Lecture Theatre
How can creativity drive real change where we live? JArtists and activists Anna Francis (The Portland Inn Project), David O’Rourke (The Medlock Valley Project), Emma Honeyford (Sweet Love for Planet Earth) and Jo Payne (MUD) explore how communities are reimagining activism through art, food, music, and local action.
How music can power climate action with climate activist Tori Tsui
12:40 - 13:00
Kanaris Lecture Theatre
Join climate activist and author Tori Tsui in conversation with Emma De Saram for a powerful discussion on climate justice, creative collaboration, and collective action. Tori will share insights from her work with the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, Brian Eno’s Earth Percent, and recent projects with Massive Attack and the Together for Palestine concert.
EarthSonic presents FLOW: How artists turn the language of water into music
13:30 - 13:50
Kanaris Lecture Theatre
Join us for a 20-minute panel featuring some of the visionary female artists behind Flow, ahead of their performance in Living Worlds. In this conversation we’ll explore how water—whether in drought-scarred rivers, ocean swells, or rising seas—is being given voice through music, hip-hop, spoken word and archival sound.
The Cloud Gardener in conversation with Tori Tsui: Greening the Urban Future
14:00 - 14:25
Kanaris Lecture Theatre
Join The Cloud Gardener Jason Williams and climate justice campaigner Tori Tsui for a thought-provoking discussion on the power of small space gardening and the future of green cities. In conversation with Tori, they’ll explore how climate action, mental wellbeing, and community resilience intersect in our built environments.
Music, Meaning, and Collective Action with musician Luke Wallace
14:35 - 14:50
Kanaris Lecture Theatre
Join Canadian songwriter Luke Wallace for a glimpse into his stories and songs inspired by a decade of touring and environmental activism. Luke is both an international renowned artist and grassroots activist asking important questions about what it means to be an artist and settler on the unceded land of Canada's west coast.
Echoes of the Rainforest Fell with Werkha, Lee Schofield and Yemaya Lee-Hewitt
15:00 - 15:30
Kanaris Lecture Theatre
Musician Werkha and conservationist Lee Schofield meet to explore how the loss of biodiversity echoes through the loss of culture. Chaired by Yemaya, the discussion will move between land, language, and memory, asking how the disappearance of our golden eagles or the silence of a valley might also signal a forgetting of song, craft, and subsequent belonging.
Wildfarmed: Andy Cato (Groove Armada) in conversation with Nihal Arthanayake
15:45 - 16:30
Kanaris Lecture Theatre
Groove Armada’s Andy Cato discusses founding Wildfarmed, a food and farming business that grows regenerative wheat to make flour. Farming has been Andy Cato’s full focus for 15 years, ever since an article he read about the environmental consequences of food production turned his life upside down — it ended with the line, “if you don’t like the system, don’t depend on it.”
Onward Climate Action Area
Free to access stalls
10:00 - 16:00
Nature’s Library
Talk to conservation organisations, activism and advocacy groups to find your personal future journey.
Stands include: FungALL, Music Declares Emergency, Young Wilders, The RSPB, MUD, Woodland Trust - Onward Climate Action stall, Wildlife Trust - Volunteering and the Wild Network, Medlock Valley, The Climate Choir and EarthSonic.
Free performances and installations
Sam Lee's ‘Singing with Nightingales’ installation
Every 30 mins from 10:30
Top Floor, Therapy Room
Let folk singer and naturalist Sam Lee and Axel Wild, nature-sound-recordist and spatial audio maestro, take you on a narrated journey into the many worlds of the rarest of birds.
D-FUSE’s ‘Nine Earths’ immersive installation
Every hour from 11:00
South Asia Gallery
Nine Earths is an immersive artwork that explores the relationship between ordinary lives and humanity’s excessive demand for the Earth’s resources. In doing so it invites the viewer to reflect on our impact on the planet, and how this connects us all.
How to Be a Forest with Dr Henry McPherson
11:30 - 12:00
Living Worlds
Dr Henry McPherson performs 'How to be a forest' (2024) - an experimental soundscape piece exploring themes of woodland ecosystems. Using field recordings, DIY soundboards, and a custom-built looping software, the performer imagines themselves as different aspects of the woodland ecosystem - canopy, rhizosphere, understory - improvising textures of bark, leaves, sap, and soil.
The Climate Choir
The Climate Choir will be performing flashmobs throughout the day across the museum, singing songs that focus on the climate crisis and encourage action. Catch them singing at:
12:30 Living Worlds
13:30 Fossils and Dinosaurs
15:30 Main Hall
Or fancy learning more about the genesis and history of the Climate Choir Movement, and how to use choir singing as effective protest? Then join the Climate Choir workshop at 14:30.
Plants Can Dance (And Mushrooms Sing) with Brian d’Souza
13:00 - 13:45
Living Worlds
Plants Can Dance (and Mushrooms Sing) explores composing music in collaboration with living organisms from the natural world. Founded in 2024 by award-winning DJ and sound artist Brian d’Souza (aka Auntie Flo), the project uses a process called biosonification to convert plant bioelectricity into sound, allowing us to hear plant data as music.
Flow: Voices of Water, stripped back vocal performance
14:30 - 15:00
Living Worlds
Fresh from performing at COP30 in the Brazilian Amazon, Flow brings an intimate stripped-back performance exploring the voices and stories of water. Through soulful harmonies, rap, hip-hop and atmospheric sounds, the artists channel the spirit of Tu’úa — meaning “to flow” in the Indigenous Wará’pakay language — giving voice to water as it speaks of droughts, floods, and rising sea levels across the world.
Luke Wallace, spellbinding politically charged folk
15:15 - 15:45
Living Worlds
Luke Wallace is a dynamic force in the world of folk music, using his talent as a songwriter, speaker, and choral arranger to champion environmental causes and inspire positive change. Hailing from the Coast Salish Territory known as Vancouver, Canada, Luke has been on a decade-long journey of touring, recording and organizing for the betterment of people and the planet.
Free workshops and discussions
Composing with Nature: A Creative Workshop by Ableton with Hayley Suviste*
10:30 - 13:00, 14:00 - 16:30
Top Floor, Classroom
Join sound artist Hayley Suviste for a creative workshop where you’ll discover simple, playful ways to turn nature’s sounds into musical compositions using Ableton Move. You’ll also take home a free download of Note*, Ableton’s mobile app for sketching and developing musical ideas. Suitable for 18+
*Please note: There is a charge for this workshop.
RSPB: Paper lantern, drawing, and shadow puppet making workshops
11:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 16:00
Top Floor, Open Learning Space
Join Jo and Patrick to draw and make underwater creatures! You can make a collaborative turtle sculpture from willow and coloured tissue paper or your own shadow puppet sea creature to take home.
Open to all ages, children to be accompanied by an adult. All materials provided. Drop in any time.
Energy in the Nature Recovery Movement with Youngwilders
12:30 - 13:15
Top Floor, Open workspace
Jack Durant of the Young Wilders, will be running a workshop on 'Energy in the Nature Recovery Movement' with special guests. The session will explore “energy” in all its modern meanings, from vibes, to motivation, to electricity, and all the roles these understandings play in the modern rewilding of the UK. Expect the spiritual, technical, practical and poetic! Aimed at ages 18 - 35, but all welcome.
Biosonification Workshop (using pocket equipment) with Brian d'Souza - learn to make music from plants
15:00 - 15:45
Top Floor, Open workspace
Participants in the workshop will be given their own biosonification device so you can create your own music using plant bioelectricity. If you have headphones with a 3.5mm jack, please bring them along!
Open to all ages, children to be accompanied by an adult.
Future Beats: Reimagining Climate-Positive Live Music
12:00 - 13:00 Top Floor, Workshop
14:30 - 15:30 Top Floor, Open Work Space
What could live music look like in a greener future? Join GenEarth CIC and EcoVida Routes for an immersive 60-minute workshop where you’ll imagine, sketch, and prototype bold ideas for climate-positive gigs, festivals, and events. Using creative design tools, big picture thinking, and plenty of imagination, you’ll collaborate with others to explore new ways that artists, fans, and venues can work together for sustainability.
Bringing the Manchester Argus butterfly home, with The Wildlife Trust
13:30 - 14:15
Top Floor, Workshop
In 2020 the Lancashire Wildlife Trust returned 20 large heath butterflies to Astley Moss in Greater Manchester. This was the first time in 150 years that the butterfly, also known as the Manchester Argus, had flown in Manchester. Hear about their amazing journey.
Climate Choir Movement: How to Change the World through Singing
14:30 - 15:15
Top Floor, Workshop
In this workshop, participants will learn about the genesis and history of the Climate Choir Movement, and how to use choir singing as effective protest. We will also touch on themes of choir singing as emotional resilience, meaning-making and community building in challenging times. In Part 2, participants will learn a song from the climate choir repertoire. Sing Truth to Power!
The Cloud Gardener: Small Space Garden Design workshop
Top Floor, Workshop
15:30 - 16:30
Join award-winning garden designer Jason Williams – The Cloud Gardener – for an inspiring one-hour Small Space Garden Design workshop. Discover how to transform even the tiniest balcony, patio, or courtyard into a thriving green haven. Jason will share practical tips on choosing the right containers, plants, and layouts to create a beautiful, biodiverse space that supports both wellbeing and wildlife.
Evening event
EarthSonic Live: Groove Armada & Werkha: Saturama
19:00 - 01:00
Main Hall & Living Worlds
A unique & intimate evening with EarthSonic at the iconic Manchester Museum, in the space where nature and music collide. Featuring BICEP's TAKKUUK (screening), Werkha presents: Saturama (immersive installation), FLOW (live performance by powerful female vocalists), a DJ set from the legendary Groove Armada, & Natural Symphony DJing with plants to finish.
