TREELINE 2026
Groundbreaking new musical composition by celebrated British composer, Graham Fitkin, created with sound recordings from ancient trees.
Epic European tour across 10 countries – by bike.
Connecting people with nature; highlighting the vital ecological importance of old growth forests.
Devised by internationally renowned English composer, Graham Fitkin, Treeline is a unique creative project which brings together communities from across Europe to create a groundbreaking new work of contemporary music. Inspired by ecology, Treeline is the first musical work to feature the mysterious sounds inside ancient trees, captured by direct sound recordings accross 10 countries.
Creating Treeline
Conceived to highlight the vital importance of UNESCO protected European old growth forests and the transformative legacy of forest conservation, Treeline was created through extensive cultural collaborations with local communities from 10 countries, including, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Czechia, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and UK.
In the Summer of 2025, Treeline creative partners across Europe chose a local tree with importance to their local community. A ‘profile’ was created of the tree and its surroundings, including drawings, poems, dimensions and a sound recording captured from inside each tree.
These unique tree profiles, along with the tree sound recordings, were then used by Graham as the basis to compose Treeline – a new, hour-long musical work, to be performed on piano, with tree sounds & newly created forest instruments triggered from the piano keyboard.
Treeline – the tour
From May 2026, Graham will undertake an epic 2,500-mile tour of Treeline by bike, cycling to all 10 participating countries and performing at the towns and cities where the tree recordings were made, as well as working with local communities at each place.
Starting on 15th May at Classix Festival, Romania, the European leg of the tour will span 17 concerts before crossing the channel to Folkestone and the UK premiere of Treeline at The Grand, Folkestone Fringe on 18th July. Additional UK performances will include Kings Place, London on 23rd July with further dates TBA.
Graham’s tour will culminate in a major performance in London in the summer of 2026 (date and venue TBC) and the release of the Treeline Album.
Composer, Graham Fitkin commented “Trees are special living things with the potential to live for hundreds of years. They can connect, care and communicate with each other through mycorrhizal networks, sharing nutrients and water. I want to celebrate our extraordinary trees and place them centre stage within a musical artwork. This project creates a new mycorrhizal- like network, regardless of national borders, by joining communities and trees in a metaphorical line across 2500 miles and bringing music and ecology together as catalysts for positive change.”
Tour dates and venues: Tour Locations | Treeline
Treeline environmental legacy: Treeline will link the UNESCO protected ancient forests of Europe once again, connecting them through an epic cycling adventure through 10 countries which will celebrate the enduring spirit of these forests, fostering a deeper connection between people and the ancient natural world that surrounds them.
Treeline aims to create not just a new work of contemporary music but a transformative legacy for forest conservation and cultural connection across Europe. Treeline aims to become a catalyst for the preservation and restoration of ancient woodland habitats, whilst strengthening bonds between people and nature – ensuring that Europe’s ancient forests remain vibrant for future generations.
Treeline Creative Partners include: Classix Festival Bucharest, ICon Arts Romania, The Daisler Foundation, Romania, Bielsko-Biala City Hall, Poland, APRB Broumov Czechia, Odonien Kòln, Germany, University of Maastricht, Intro in Situ, Netherlands, Matrix Leuven, Belgium, Sounds Folkestone, University of Kent, City of London, Kings Place London and others TBA.
Treeline Supporting Partners include: UNESCO, UN Live, The European Nature Trust
Ecosia, Network for Sustainability in Art & Culture (2N2K), Alba KULTUR, Rausgegangen,
Cornwall Wildlife Trust, R3GIS, Flanders Arts Institute/Kunstenpunt, Ekopolis, City of London Corporation, The Hinrichsen Foundation, Arvo Pärt Center and Augmented Instruments Lab.
Treeline trailer:
www.treeline.org.uk
PRESS ENQUIRIES: Celia Bailey PR + 44(0)7930 442 411 bailey_celia@hotmail.com
LINK TO PRESS IMAGES HERE
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Graham Fitkin is an internationally recognised composer and sound artist, interested in the intersections between environment, science and societal change. He composes for live performance, installation, dance and media, working with acoustic and electronic instruments, interviews and field recordings.
He has been commissioned by organisations including the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra (Ruse), Swedish European City of Culture Umea (Birch), the Halle (North), RSNO (Ascendant), Royal Opera House (Home), BBC Symphony Orchestra (Fervent), BBC Concert Orchestra (Tidal), BBC Philharmonic Orchestra (Circuit).
He has been Composer-in-Residence with organisations including, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and London Chamber Orchestra and a Composer-in-Association Tate Gallery St Ives.
Sound Art/Cross-Art – projects include VR collaboration for Folkestone Triennial with artist Shezad Dawood (The Terrariu m Inventory), commissions for the Minack Theatre outdoor amphitheatre (S4), a site-specific headphone project for HFC, Harpland Migration Tour with Ruth Wall (Uist) and Ars Musica Brussels commission 2024 (Geography) ) and a composition for European City of Culture, Umea, using data from a Swedish birch tree.
Musical collaborations have included those with, Yo-Yo Ma, Powerplant, The Sacconi Quartet, Kathryn Stott, Nederlands Blazersensemble, Will Gregory, Ensemble Bash, Piano Circus, The Smith Quartet and Adrian Utley.
Dance collaborations have included New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Shobana Jeyasingh, Wayne McGregor’s Random Dance, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Bi-Ma, Sidonie Rochon, Munich Ballet and National Ballet of Portugal.
Selected prizes include, the International Grand Prix Dance Music Award 2000, Royal Philharmonic Society Composer Award 2015 and three BASCA Composer Awards. Selected albums include, Slow, Loud, Flak, Loosening, Kaplan, Circuit, Lost, Vamp, Veneer and UIST.
European Old Growth Forests
Before humans, ancient forests flourished undisturbed across the European continent, connected in one long continuous expanse. From the towering trees of Romania to the untamed wilds of Poland, a vast ancient forest once formed an interconnected living chronicle of the past. Now, all but the smallest remnants of European primeval forests have disappeared and ancient, near-natural forests have become very rare, along with the unique and priceless ecosystems that live within them.
Crucial for biodiversity, carbon storage, climate change mitigation, the precious old-growth forests of Europe represent a vital part of Europe’s natural heritage, harboring unique biodiversity and providing an invaluable ecosystem service.
These important ecosystems include the UNESCO protected Białowieża Forest (Poland/Belarus), the only remaining primeval forest in the EU and home to some of Europe’s most fragile species and habitats. Białowieża Forest is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest that once stretched across Europe.
Approximately 4.9 million hectares of the European Union’s forests are classified as primary or old-growth, representing about 3% of the EU’s total forested area. While this area might seem substantial, these forests are often fragmented and under threat from depredation. While the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 mandates strict protection for remaining old-growth forests, challenges remain in defining, mapping, and effectively protecting these areas.
www.treeline.org.uk