Call for Australian Birdsong Recordings

Hollis Taylor & Jon Rose's favourite galah named Doggie

Award-winning composers Hollis Taylor and Jon Rose are collaborating with Decibel new music ensemble and the ornithological community to bring Australian birdsong to the stage.

BioFONIKA is an immersive, spatialised performance exploring Australian birdsong through field recordings, live instrumental performance, sonic transformations and text. The work reflects on our relationship with our avian companions, many of whom are endangered. Decibel will perform within and around recordings of birds and their environments, human stories of encounters with birds, and transcriptions of birdsong created by Taylor and Rose.

Zoomusicologist, composer and violinist Hollis Taylor has spent decades recording and transcribing the intricate vocalisations of Australian songbirds. Jon Rose’s boundary-pushing practice examines the intersection of sound, environment and culture through experimental performance and instrument innovation. Their pioneering contributions and long-term commitment to Australian sound worlds was recognised in 2025 when APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre jointly awarded Taylor and Rose the Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music.

As part of the project, Decibel invites the public to contribute to a citizen-science component by submitting audio recordings of Australian birdsong, spoken stories of bird encounters, or historical and archival material connected to birds they may wish to share with the project.

Selected contributions may be integrated into the work — transcribed, remixed and performed alongside live instrumental interpretation in the 2027 premiere season.

Audio and oral recordings can be submitted via the Decibel website until 30 May 2026. Full submission guidelines and upload details are available online.

Decibel Artistic Director, Cat Hope, says:

“Recognising Australian birdsong is part of our Australian identity. With BioFONIKA we want to hear how birdsong lives in your neighbourhood, local park. wetland, daily walk, weekend trip and dawn chorus of backyards across the country. In a time of environmental change, each contribution helps us know, celebrate and amplify these unique bird calls whilst contributing to a major new Australian music work.”

BioFONIKA will premiere in 2027 at the Derksen Studio at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts’ new campus in Perth, followed by a season at the David Li Sound Gallery in Melbourne.

Submissions are open until 30 May 2026. For full guidelines and upload details, visit: https://decibelnewmusic.com/biofonika/