Song of a Bird: The Choir

The choir is composed of men who, like my father, studied their parts for twenty-thirty years. This is my attempt to collect, preserve and give access to the community of those who know how to whistle like singing birds – the Maltese bird trappers, now on the other side of European law.

“From spending his early years with the birds, the trapper learns to call – constantly improving, learning with time. As you age, you figure out how to hone your whistle, ending up almost speaking the birds’ language. You don’t know what they’re saying, but you’re calling with them.” Transcript from Interview with Michael Grima, 2017

by Jimmy Grima with Michael Grima Louis Camilleri Choir Michael Grima Louis Camilleri Sound Yasmin Kuymizakis Camera Chris Goa Farrugia January 2019, COMETOGETHER 4. Frascati Theatre, Amsterdam