'Voices of the Wild' by Bernie Krause now available from Yale University Press

In his newest book, 'Voices of the Wild: Animal Songs, Human Din, and the Call to Save Natural Soundscapes' (Yale Press, 2015), author, naturalist, and soundscape ecology pioneer Bernie Krause expands upon stories of his life-long work in bio-acoustics (and his on-going efforts to share awareness of the world's most beautiful soundscapes) with a glimpse of some of his most delightful and compelling personal anecdotes.



A declaration in support of the appreciation and protection of natural soundscapes, Krause explains a few of the secrets hidden in the natural world's shrinking sonic environments - and how and why they must be preserved for scientific understanding, our cultural heritage, and humanity's physical and spiritual welfare.

The quietly-stated and direct narrative - supplemented by exclusive access to field recordings from wild places around the world - documents, in part, a few of his reflections and early exploration of the field, with the hope of encouraging further consideration and expression of the subject by future generations of field recordists and soundscape enthusiasts to come.

"...Voices of the Wild" is fascinating, urgent, filled with sound and fury and beauty" 

-Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods

Request it from your local bookseller or

Buy It Here.

Adventures In Soundscape - Wild Sanctuary's Trailblazing Ethic

It's been said that each step illuminates the next.  But those first steps take a trailblazer.

Early days of Synthesizer

Building an Archive of Sound

Sharing Soundscape Ecology

A true explorer in the collection, investigation into, and archiving of the world's most beautiful and unusual natural sounds, Wild Sanctuary's Bernie Krause's pioneering works have long brightened possibilities for others to whom sound is a medium of excitement and interest.  Uncountable current field recordists, scientists, and creative artists alike have found inspiration in his work.  With the increasing interest of the digital generation, Bernie's work continues to invite engagement, participation, and innovation for others to expand upon in their own right and to join us within the adventure.

New Premiere:
The first full symphony to use wild soundscapes as the conceptual muse for the work and fully incorporate them within orchestration, The Great Animal Orchestra Symphony breaks new ground in the classical and contemporary music world and the world of soundscape recording.

In collaboration with inspired composer Richard Blackford, artist/author/soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause's newest work will premiere in the UK, at the Cheltenham Music Festival, July 12th, 2014.  The CD and score will be released through Nimbus Records in September.  This performance is part of an extended European tour that includes an exciting array of related public speaking and educational appearances, arts installations, and other planned events related to Bernie's most recent book, 'The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places" (Little/Brown, 2012).

Inspired by the book, composer Richard Blackford creates
'The Great Animal Orchestra Symphony for Orchestra & Wild Soundscapes'

Bernie with David Byrne at City Arts &; Lectures

'Soundscapes', A Sonoma State University Dance Concert

Wild Sanctuary's on-going efforts in presenting wild soundscapes within the public culture continue to increase as Bernie, Kat, and associates continue to explore untrammeled territories.  


In books, films, radio/tv/e-media presence, public space installations, performance, social networking, workshops, co-guided Sound Safari's and more, we enthusiastically invite you to participate in appreciation of the increasingly rare remaining 'creature chorus' around the world - as the lovely and ongoing resonant voices of the remaining natural world perform their timeless songs.  Let us know about your specific interest - and watch for more news coming soon!

To find out more about Bernie & Kat Krause visit us at Wild Sanctuary, subscribe to the WildBlog, or send us a note anytime: info@wildsanctuary.com.

Select Bernie Krause Soundscape Recordings now available from 'Society of Sound', curated by Peter Gabriel.

A pioneer in the distribution of digital music downloads, world-renown singer, musician, songwriter, and humanitarian Peter Gabriel curates a collection of high-quality recordings available through the subscription music service 'Society of Sound'  at Bowers & Wilkins.   Subscribers can download select albums from Gabriel's Real World Studios, the London Symphony Orchestra, or other titles within the catalog in Apple Lossless and studio-quality FLAC formats. For audiophiles looking for high quality natural soundscape recordings, the collection now offers several custom pieces from Bernie Krause, who reminds us that '…all music was born in the natural world.'  Check out the 'Society of Sound', and  listen to the wild.

From musical explorations in early synthesizer days to helping develop the field of Soundscape Ecology, Bernie Krause travels vast musical territory:
     

Introducing: The Orchestra of the Wild

Bernie and Kat Krause have long played instrumental parts within the world of soundscape exploration.  In addition to preserving, protecting, and promoting soundscape awareness and furthering development of Soundscape Ecology for use in science, art, and outreach, their continuous expression of  the harmony that can be found amid wilderness and the wild is a vital part of Wild Sanctuary's on-going effort.

Katherine Krause, Richard Blackford

. . . Announcing 
"The Great Animal Orchestra: A Symphony"

Bernie Krause, Richard Blackford

An exceptional new orchestral symphony - based on Bernie's most recent book - is currently being created as a collaborative effort with noted British composer, Richard Blackford, and is now scheduled to premiere July 12, 2014, first at the Cheltenham Music Festival, UK, and later in Wales, and the USA.

The origins of music began in the wild, as creature voices joined in some particularly significant ways, likely inspiring humans to dance, sing, speak, and perform over eons of time.  In this new expression, soundscape becomes both muse and instrument within the orchestral suite, an evolving exploration of the natural and musical worlds.

Watch for updates about 'The Great Animal Orchestra: A Symphony', as this theme continues to resonate with friends, fans, and a engaged generation of listeners around the globe.   Tune in to the inherent harmonies that spring from the fundamental source of all music...find out what the soundscapes of the natural world will inspire in you! 

Join us, as 'The Orchestra of the Wild' educates, enlightens, and entertains in profound new ways  - a sonic adventure in soundscape awareness.  Informed by The Voice of the Natural World, we are delighted to welcome you to the ever-evolving works and resonant delights of Wild Sanctuary.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Wild Sanctuary and the Global Sustainable Soundscapes Network

Wild Sanctuary is a Founding Member of The Global Sustainable Soundscapes Network, bringing together landscape ecologists, conservation biologists, ecologists from the creative arts, acousticians, and psycho-acousticians to explore the coordination of studies in diverse soundscapes.

We'll be joining with other member organizations including Purdue University, The Acoustic Ecology Institute, Art Institute of Chicago, College of Environmental Science and Forestry/State University of New York, University of Georgia, McGill University, Michigan State University, Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring/Team Network, Tuskegee University, University of Alaska/Fairbanks, Universidad Nacional/Costa Rica, University of New Mexico, and University of Urbino to share, express, and further expand our long-held goals of expanding and connecting the practical, creative, and academic understanding of natural soundscapes and soundscape ecology.

As the acoustic connection to the natural world become stronger than ever before, we'll continue to share news of how this and our other similar involvements develop as we endeavor to build community and further the field of soundscape inquiry around the world. 

Derek and the Cobra

Friend and colleague, Derek Solomon, with wife Sarah, do some amazing work in South Africa and keep us well-posted. We always delight in his latest efforts - finely done sound recording and splendid photographs. Check out the astonishing photo (which really makes us smile) and the details just received. Now that's intrepid! Here's what Derek had to share:

Photo (c) D. Solomon/ all rights reserved.

"The Snouted Cobra Naja annulifera (previously thought to be a subspecies of the Egyptian Cobra) is a large snake averaging 1.5 to 2m in length, and is a common species of the southern African bushveld. It hunts at night favouring toads, but eats other frogs as well as snakes, lizards and birds and is an unpopular visitor to poultry runs. During the day it is often found sunning itself close to its home in a rocky outcrop or termite mound.

The 'spread-hood' threat display of a cobra is actually a defence behaviour used as a warning signal and may be accompanied by a loud hiss. The hiss, given as the reptile exhales, is different in every species of snake. In the case of the Snouted Cobra the initial hiss may be repeated several times and as it strikes it makes a loud 'pfftt' sound. We made this recording at Khamai Reptile Park in South Africa's Limpopo Province."

For more information contact Derek at info@kuyimba.com

Murie Inspiration

Talking soundscape with an amazing group of advocates is always dynamic, but never more so than at the recent SOUNDS OF NATURE WORKSHOP at the inspiring Murie Center. This is where, many years ago, Olas and Mardy Murie's friendly table conversations turned dreams of the Wilderness Act and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge into reality. Our participating colleagues, friends, and associates turned our Soundscape Team's time at the workshop into growing commitments to each build on the Murie legacy for a more sustainable 21st Century. A place of peace, reflection, promise, action -- and people ready for adventure -- all things linked in a few sparkling moments amid birdsong, moose sightings, owl hoots, and camaraderie. Our thanks and salute to all participants!

Teaming Up To Raise Soundscape Awareness

Great networks seem to be popping up nearly everywhere these days to discuss the technical side of soundscape recording - but for those who want to simply enjoy natural sounds, learn more about the world of natural soundscapes, and forward the cause of protecting, preserving, and promoting natural sound to help raise soundscape awareness throughout the culture, there is now another welcoming site.  Get social in the conversation about how, when, and where we can further the understanding and appreciation of natural sound around the world. The Soundscape Support Team is a 'quiet little network' designed to create new advocacy for delighting in and sustaining the sounds of the outdoor world, that in turn sustain us! Join in - let's discuss details about the future of birdsong, babbling brooks, and the creature chorus in art, science, health, education and more.  

Leave no footprints, especially the carbon kind

To minimize our impact on the environment, while in the field, some say 'take only photos, leave only footprints'; a good adage to be sure. We say, 'Record some sounds, and reduce your carbon footprints, too, whenever and wherever you can.' Brighterplanet.com is doing some interesting campaigns in support of renewable energies and offers a nice bit of offset just by posting their badge to your blog.

Live from New York - it's Wild Sanctuary!

We are pleased to be in New York City this week as guests of The World Science Festival. Bernie will be addressing 'The Sixth Extinction' with scientific luminary Richard Leakey at Columbia University's Miller Theater.
 An added note: they call it 'the city that never sleeps', we're guessing it has something to do with noise, the No. 1 'quality of life' complaint of city dwellers. In 2006, alone, there were 350,000 citizen complaints registered about just that; since 2007 there's been a 6% rise in that figure. CHIRP!!!

Keeping WIRED to the Natural World

Thanks go to Clive Thompson and the well-versed editors at WIRED, for their May 19, 2008 story on soundscapes and 'How Man-made Noise Can Be Altering the Earth's Ecology.' Kudos always to that publication for their environmentally-friendly approach to the high tech world. We appreciate intrepid trailblazers of the Wired kind, exploring new ways to stay well-connected to the natural world - within the digital age. Image: budgetstockphoto.com

See you 'Where'? - At 'Where 2.0', of course!

Everything happens somewhere - and Wild Sanctuary is going to be there when it does - at Where 2.0, the outstanding O'Reilly technology conference that will be mapping out the future of geospace. Our own Bernie Krause and Kat Krause, along with web-wizards Jesse Evans and Sam Evans, will be on-hand to present a new layer of possibilites featuring natural sound around the world. Meet us, when we put the 'there' in 'where', at the Fairmont Hotel, in San Jose, on Tuesday, May 29th, at 2:30 sharp. To visit to the Where 2.0 page, click on the headline for a link. Map courtesy graphicmaps.com

The Katmai Soundscape Project moves forward!

Big News from Wild Sanctuary! We've scheduled the second week in June to be on-site in Alaska for The Katmai Soundscape Project, a continuation of The World Soundscape Project begun last June in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This phase, obtaining baseline recordings of 3 sites within Alaska's Katmai National Park, is an exciting continuation of our global project work and will add significant material to the archive from that amazing location. Known as the 'land of 10,000 smokes', the Katmai is a spectacular 40 square mile, 100-700 ft. deep ash flow deposit from Novarupta Volcano. Also known for it's brown bears, robust waterways, rich salmon habitat, remote wilderness, and rugged coastlines, this area is still recovering from 1989's Valdez oil spill, although it was over 250 miles away! If you'd like to help us accomplish the baseline soundscape study of this region please make your contribution today -- just click on the MAKE A DONATION button to your right, under The Murie Center information. And thank you. We're grateful for your support! Image courtesy NPS/Katmai National Park Photo Archive.