Flyways: Paul Winter Consort and the Great Rift Valley Orchestra

Each spring, more than half a billion birds of 350 species follow the Great Rift Valley along the length of the African continent from South Africa to Ethiopia, and continue across the Middle East to Turkey where they diverge to Europe and Asia. This flyway is one of the most important bird migration corridors in the world. Paul Winter first experienced the miracle of the migration some years ago when he flew in a glider across Israel with the migrating storks as they soared on the thermal currents coming up from the Rift Valley below. From that unforgettable adventure came the vision for this project: to create a musical chronicle of the birds’ long journey using music from each of the cultures over which they fly and weaving the voices of the birds into the fabric of the music.

The music will be performed by a new international ensemble, the Great Rift Valley Orchestra, comprised of indigenous musicians from cultures along the flyway and including members of the Paul Winter Consort.

The motto of the Flyways project is: "migrating birds know no borders." Beneath this overarching aerial highway live millions of people of diverse races and cultures. The flyway embraces all of these cultures, and the project aims to harness the timeless languages of birds and music with the goal of bringing people together in common cause across borders