Spell Songs Concert in Support of the Urban Nature Project
From the Nominator
"In April 2021, the Natural History Museum hosted a unique performance by Spell Songs, the musical ensemble born of The Lost Words and The Lost Spells books by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. The performance raised funds for the Urban Nature Project (UNP), a project that will transform the museum’s outdoor site into a biodiversity hub and, through a UK-wide collaboration inspiring an urban nature movement, create advocates for the planet.
The Lost Words team was drawn to the project, as its goals aligned so clearly with their own. In March 2020, they approached the museum about hosting a one-off collaboration. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the collaboration culminated in an online fundraising concert watched by 55,500 viewers globally, with the likes of conservationist Chris Packham encouraging his Twitter followers to tune into the ‘’amazing” concert.
As musicians played, viewers commented on the “breathtaking beauty” and “stunning” performances, with donations coming in from across the UK, as well as Germany and U.S. Whilst the concert was free to view, donations were encouraged through a tiered approach of incentives upon registration. Funds were also raised via an online auction, which saw illustrator Jackie Morris create an artwork live on stage that viewers could bid on.
The creative combination of poetry, music, and art helped bring the aims of UNP to life for digital audiences and struck a chord with supporters from all backgrounds, ages, and geographies, helping raise over £105,000 for our first digital fundraiser, achieving double our target."
From the Judges
The Spell Songs concert is an excellent example of rethinking an in-person event during a time when everyone was putting their events online. The concert, combined with the art and poetry, resonated with a broad audience. With over 50,000 viewers globally, the museum presented an event that both raised a substantial amount of funds for the organization, but also created thousands of new relationships with the museum.