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The project

 

Certain cetaceans, such as male humpback whales, give off sounds resembling mournful songs. These sounds have already been recorded on CDs and can be found on many websites. Their range is very close to that of the human voice and certain instruments like the duduk, an ancient Armenian flute.

The association "Whales Whisperers" is made up of musicians whose goal is to compose harmonious accompaniment for the sounds produced by whales, killer whales, and dolphins. The first performances will feature this mythical flute and a vocalist (soprano).

The first attempts will take place in a studio, then on stage with onscreen photo and video projections. Following this experimentation period and final touches, improvisations will be conducted directly with the cetaceans.

The aim of this artistic production is to preserve these large sea-dwelling mammals. Given the stakes and risks of confusion, it is important to specify the limits of such a project:

This project is not an attempt to earn money from the preservation cause: this is a non-profit project. Should a profit be made from concerts or productions, it will be donated to non-profit organizations for the defense and protection of the undersea environment, or reinvested to improve communication about our cause.

Its aim is not to use the whale sounds as accompaniment for music having nothing in common with their nature. Their sounds are to remain unaltered and accompanied by melodies sung by a human voice or played by an instrument. This process will be monitored and approved by a team of scientists and professionals in order to ensure that the mammals' uniqueness and specificity is respected.

This project does not intend to establish a means of communication with whales through a pseudo-scientific interpretation of sound. The goal is to foster emotional interaction between the musicians' improvisations and the whales themselves.

 

The project's main actors

  • Toothed cetaceans (dolphins, killer whales, sperm whales …) and great whales (11 species).
  • Musicians composing or improvising the accompaniment for the whales' sounds:
  • Levon Minassian, composer and world-renowned dudukist.
  • Yukimi Yamamoto vocalist and off-screen voice actress, originally from Japan .
  • Various partners (scientists, photographers, filmmakers, writers, etc.), who will help set goals and monitor the progress of the project, respecting the uniqueness of the whales and of their environment.
  • Sound engineers who will mix the whale sounds and the musical improvisations into one recording, with the help of improvisation specialists such as Jean-Marc Montera , Director of Grim, www.grim-marseille.com .

 

The project is broken into three phases

1. Research and creation

  • Gathering recordings of whale sounds (with special emphasis on male humpback whales, whose sounds are well-adapted to musical composition).
  • Creation of melodic harmony suited to the sounds produced by these cetaceans.
  • Recording composite works from whale sounds and improvisations by Levon Minassian (duduk) and Yukimi Yamamoto (soprano).

 

2. Experimentation and final touches

 

3. Return-interaction

  • Observation and contact with whales within their natural habitats ( Alaska , Rurutu , Tonga , Panama , Golf of California, Mediterranean Sea ….),
  • Interpretation and improvisation via underwater listening and emission instruments in order to interact with whales in order to communicate emotionally with them. Images from various locations (sky, ground, underwater).


Email : contact@whaleswhisperers.org - +33 4 91 59 13 89 - Become a partner