Ten Thousand Birds draws on the songs of birds native to, or migrating through, the region where the piece is performed. The work explores connections between nature and music—a topic John Luther Adams has pursued throughout his career. Where works like Become Ocean (2014 Pulitzer Prize) employ big musical gestures to express awe at nature’s grandeur, Ten Thousand Birds finds inspiration in particular birdsongs, captured in minute detail.
The piece has an open, modular structure: each page of music can be combined in varied ways. Adams writes: “In this music, time is not measured. Each page in the score will be its own self-contained world that occupies its own physical space and its own time.” Alarm Will Sound’s 70-minute interpretation, designed by Alan Pierson, follows the cycle of a day—starting with birdsongs heard in the morning, then afternoon, evening, night, and return to morning. Musicians move throughout the venue as they play, and audiences are encouraged to walk around and experience the music from many perspectives.
AWS Performance History
- 2014 — Public Media Commons, St. Louis, MO (World Premiere)
- May 14, 2017 — Morningside Park, New York, NY (New York Premiere)
- June 2020 — Virtual / “Ten Thousand Screens” (Pandemic adaptation)
- July 11, 2021 — Caramoor, Katonah, NY
- September 18, 2021 — Governors Island, New York, NY (Rite of Summer Festival)
- September 25, 2021 — Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Premiere)
- June 5, 2022 — National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
- February 5, 2023 — Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
- June 21, 2025 — City Museum, St. Louis, MO