A unique artistic collaboration blending music and nature has brought attention to the often-overlooked world of moths, highlighting their ecological importance and the threats they face.
Violinist Ellie Wilson created Moth x Human, a composition based on moth flight data collected from a biodiversity monitoring station. The piece was commissioned by Oxford Contemporary Music, supported by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), and premiered on June 7 at the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture New Music Biennial.
“Moths tend to be overlooked because they are active at night when most of us are asleep,” Wilson explained. “But as pollinators, they are just as vital as bees and butterflies. I wanted to celebrate these incredible creatures.”
Wilson began with a dataset documenting the presence of 80 moth species in a protected area at Salisbury’s Parsonage Downs. She assigned each species a distinct sound, triggered whenever the moth was detected by CEH’s monitoring equipment.
Upon hearing the initial playback of this natural “composition,” Wilson was amazed. “It was incredible. The moths essentially created a beautiful piece of music for me.”
Using the moths’ movement patterns as a foundation, Wilson composed additional music for a group of musicians playing violin, cello, trombone, piano, and synthesizers.
The resulting ethereal piece draws attention to the dramatic decline in moth populations due to habitat loss in the UK. The composition contrasts the vibrant beginning—based on data from a diverse natural habitat—with a somber ending using data from a farmland monoculture, where only 19 moth species were recorded.
“The music starts euphoric, but by the end, the difference is stark—you can really hear the change,” Wilson remarked.
Moth x Human was commissioned by the PRS Foundation, Southbank Centre, and Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture New Music Biennial.
