How Scientists and Composers Teamed Up to Create a Stunning Natural Version of Colombia’s National Anthem

At dawn one August day, biologist Santiago Monroy and producer José Álvarez traverse Colombian forests and swamps in search of birds. They carried parabolic microphones, recorders, cameras and field equipment with them. They traveled more than 600 miles to collect the audio. The journey took them from the eastern plains to the Chingaza Swamp, and finally to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Most days they wake up at 3 a.m. to tune themselves into the rhythms of nature and record the birds’ most active moments.

The duo set out on their expedition with the sole mission of trying something beautiful but difficult: reviving their country’s national anthem – through the sounds of its biodiversity.

The natural version of the anthem was created for the United Nations Global Summit on Biodiversity – known as Sixteenth Conference of the Parties– In Cali, Colombia, which happened in late October.

Months before Alvarez and Monroy traversed Colombia’s landscape, Sora, an insurance company sponsoring the 16th UN Climate Change Conference, joined forces with advertising agency McCann Colombia to create something meaningful for the summit. Sora and McCann were looking for an idea beyond COP16. They wanted to create something new that showcased the host country’s biodiversity.

“We said then [biodiversity] He is the protagonist, and he must have a voice. If he has a voice, he can sing. What should you sing? “Well, this national symbol that represents a symbol of unity and identity – the national anthem of Colombia,” says Alejandro Barrera, executive creative director of McCann Colombia.

When the composer Miguel de Narvaez— who was brought into the team to perform the national anthem — received an invitation to the project, and said he believes “this is probably the most important project we’ve ever done.”

Himno Nacional de Colombia Interpreted Through Biodiversity – COP16

The song consists of 41 birds, three amphibians, one jaguar and some whales, and offers a glimpse into one of the world’s most biodiverse countries. As of the end of 2023, Colombia It has more species of birds than any other country in the world. By using the voices of the country’s ecosystems, the team hopes to amplify the critical role of protecting and conserving Colombia’s biodiversity.

The project was “a wonderful synergy to achieve something unique that has never been done before in Colombia’s history,” Narváez says.

Narvaez’s national anthem relied heavily on Alvarez, who produced the song, and Monroy, who designed the expedition to capture the sounds.

“The anthem has a key that we had to respect. It has a melody. It has a compass and an abacus,” Narvaez says. “But birds and biodiversity don’t get along.”

Alvarez and Narvaez first began playing with samples from audio libraries. They did the introduction to the anthem and realized that it was possible to recreate a version of the anthem using birds. Given this initial success, they made a decision: “Let’s take this project further, let’s record it in the field,” Narvaez recalls.

Monroy, a biologist who had worked in bioacoustics before, planned and designed the route that would take them along the mountains of Colombia, from lower to higher slopes. They will pass and score Civil society nature reserves: A category of nature reserves where anyone who owns rural or natural property is obligated to care for one or more ecosystems.

“We needed an expedition where we would move around a lot,” says Monroy. The team decided to start at a low altitude and work their way up from sea level Rey Zamoro Reserve in the eastern plains to Ecopalacio Reserve in the Chingaza Swamp. They spent 12 days driving and hiking, rested one day, and flew one day to Yumaki Nature Reserve (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta).

The national anthem evokes identity, and Monroy believed that by designing the expedition in this way they would be able to capture different sounds that would evoke identity across different communities.

“If you live in the plains, you will hear and recognize a plains bird. If you live in Bogota, you will hear and recognize a bird of Bogotá.”

Each reserve the team visited presented a different acoustic opportunity. Monroy explains that the project would not have been possible without the people from Civil society nature reserves Conduct local wildlife conservation work. “They are guardians of biodiversity,” Monroy says.

Alvarez and Monroy traversed these reserves, recording the sounds of birds, monkeys, frogs, and many other sounds of the landscape. In one of those many reserves, Finca la Peredura In San Pedro de Jagua, the couple got help from Gabriel Uniper Novoa Moreno, a local farm worker who had recently started a bird-watching business.

Novoa Moreno, who was born on the property, had previously only worked in ranching and farming before adding birdwatching to his repertoire. But now, he and his family are also interested in conservation, and have centered their birdwatching business around the famous local bird called the rock cock. Native to the Andean cloud forests and known mostly from Peru, this orange-and-black bird is known for its large mohawk-like crest that covers almost its entire bill.

There, at Finca La Peridura, Novoa Moreno took Monroy and Álvarez to a gathering of male birds to give a performance. The team recorded dozens of native birds congregating around to court each other, showing off their bright plumage, smooth movements and grunting calls.

Later, when Novoa Moreno heard the national anthem, he was amazed by it, saying it made him believe that “what we are doing — protecting and preserving — is the best thing we can do.”

After Monroy and Alvarez finished the expedition, Alvarez had more than 700 different sounds and more than 20 hours of ambient noise. There were sounds of tigers, cane toads, monkeys, and birds, such as the blackbird oriole, the masked mountain tanager, and more. The melody of the anthem is constructed by listening to each bird and performing its calls to the corresponding notes in the song. In some cases, when the notes weren’t right, Alvarez modified the pitch of the bird’s song.

“The most complicated part was making it look cool, making it feel real, and touching the hearts of Colombians,” Alvarez says.

In addition to building the melody, Narvaez says, they also had to incorporate other background layers to give the song a fuller sound. It took the team about four weeks to create the sound after their time in the field.

When COP16 arrived, the national anthem was unveiled, and the response from people in Colombia was overwhelming. “Some people tell us this is the first time they’ve heard the anthem seven times in a row,” Narvaez says.

The audio recording has drawn attention to the biodiversity crisis that threatens many of Earth’s ecosystems. Colombia, one of the most Countries are very diverseIt protects and preserves about 31 percent of its land area. But many habitats across the country still face illegal activities such as mining and deforestation.

Many commentators They say on social media that the national anthem reminds them of the rich biodiversity for which the country is famous.

On a foggy day during the expedition, Monroy and Alvarez spotted a guide with a group of tourists on the trail with binoculars looking at a bird above them. They were passing through the Chingaza swamp, near the capital, Bogota, when they decided to get out of the car and see what was happening. The bird turns out to be a day owl.

The owl sang a tune recorded by Alvarez for 40 minutes.

That moment during their days-long expedition across Colombia turned out to be a key part of their larger project. “The owl became the protagonist,” Alvarez says.

The first three notes of the hymn belong to the owl.