SWN is neither an ecology walk, a bird-watching expedition, or even a concert. It is a work of immersive theatre, staged by nature, told by humans and outshone by a very special bird.

Each year, for a short period from mid-April to May's end, five thousand pairs of nightingales fly to southern England from Sub-Saharan Africa. Here they take up songful residence as the males commence their famous - but much unknown - courtship night song. Amongst the scented blackthorn in the stillness of the spring air, we have the extraordinary privilege of seeking out these songbirds and making an auditorium of their thicket.

As you, our guests, and our invited musicians are led after dark into the woods, it is here, within ear-tingling proximity, that we are granted this exquisite opportunity to appreciate the improvised and virtuosic nature of the nightingale's song. Most significant is their ability to incorporate…