Posted on: 10 July, 2024
The first of three events, Listen will offer visitors exclusive evening access to the zoo accompanied by a classical soundtrack from members of the Bristol Symphony Orchestra, performing chamber music across the site.
Teams from Bristol Zoological Society have worked together to create events that will provide a unique visitor experience. Our in-house Animal Welfare Team have been busy organising a number of preliminary tests to keep track of any difference in animal behaviours when serenaded by the different musicians, from locating musical activities largely away from animal areas and setting allowable decibel levels for noise at animal habitat boundaries, it has been wonderful to see the ways in which our different species interact, or not, with the sounds they hear.
Visitors will have the opportunity to hear the world premiere of a specially created piece to celebrate our bird species by Bristol-based composer Maretha van der Walt, performed by a chamber ensemble amongst the aviaries in the Walled Garden.
They will also have the chance to enjoy extracts from Prokofiev’s beloved Peter and the Wolf, with its musical depictions of wolves, birds, cats and more, performed on the Bear Wood walkway, with views across ancient woodland and the opportunity to catch sight of our bears, lynxes, wolverines and wolves.
Specially created animal talks will precede each performance, creating a deep connection between the music heard and animals that live in the habitats.
Listen will be a fantastic chance for visitors to witness our animals going about their usual business after hours. You may even get to see a lot more activity from some, including ‘the rarest deer species on Earth’, our Philippine spotted deer, Pandora and Eugene.
Explore Bristol Zoo Project like never before and discover what the animals get up to in the evening.
Join us for Listen on Friday 12 July to soak up the atmosphere whilst you enjoy a refreshing drink at the bar, accompanied by a string quartet, or a delicious stone-baked pizza at Base Camp Pizzeria, accompanied by a live harpist.
Our other events are Play on 26 July and Perform on 9 August.
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