Flyways celebrates the great bird migration between Africa and Eurasia along the Great Rift Valley, using music of the cultures over which the birds fly.

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. Flyways is 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 motto of the Flyways project is: “migrating birds know no borders.” Beneath the overarching aerial highway live millions of people of diverse races and cultures. The project aims to harness the timeless languages of birds and music with the goal of bringing people together in common cause across borders and cultures. Flyways is a musical metaphor for the richness and interdependence of life in all its forms, and as such, seeks to preserve not only the rich biodiversity of the region, but also the indigenous music traditions, many of which are undervalued and in decline.

Aspects of the Flyways project include:

• Building new musical collaborations across cultures. Learn more about our work to date in thirteen of the sixteen countries of the migration route: South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey, Bulgaria and Russia. Local videographers documented the work. (See videos).

• Composing and recording the Flyways work, interweaving music from cultures along the Rift with the voices of the birds (to be released in 2013)

• Performing concerts by the Great Rift Valley Orchestra, created by composer and saxophonist Paul Winter, and comprised of musicians from cultures along the migration route. To date this ensemble has presented Flyways concerts in five countries.

• Engaging new audiences, raising awareness in both urban and rural communities about birds and their migrations, and highlighting the musical and cultural traditions.