Bringing people together to celebrate nature is one of the key goals of Forests Without Frontiers and in 2025 Enchanting Forest, our most ambitious project to date, did just that.

Enchanting Forest brought diverse artists, musicians, and conservationists together to celebrate Sussex landscapes and heritage through music and film, culminating in a sold-out show at Brighton Dome Corn Exchange in November. 

Part-funded by Arts Council England and in partnership with the Sussex Wildlife Trust, with support from the University of Sussex, the project was dreamed up and directed by FWF founder Nicoleta Carpineanu aka Nico de Transilvania, who collaborated with a talented community of local creatives and academics.

Those involved included Brighton-based New Note Orchestra (the world’s first orchestra for people recovering from addiction), the Copper family (keepers of Sussex folksong), singer Alice Russell, professor of sonic systems at the University of Sussex Dr Alice Eldridge, and director of conservation at Sussex Wildlife Trust Henri Brocklebank. The Enchanting Forest choir was led by Sophia Efthimiou, while folksinger Elle Osborne, musician Danny Emerson and poet Niall Hollaert recorded pieces too. 

β€œBy bringing people together through music and art we can raise awareness of the amazing diverse landscapes right on our doorstep and help preserve and protect them – and local traditions – for generations to come,” said Nico.

Locations for filming stretched from the Downs to the sea and included Ebernoe Common and its beautiful church; Kingley Vale, home to some of the oldest yew trees in Britain; the Copper family home; and the beach at Rottingdean where Ruby Stothard, a young ambassador for Sussex Underwater talked about kelp restoration. The theme running through the whole project was a love of the natural world and its healing properties, a need to protect it, and the power of creativity and community.

β€œRestoring wildlife depends on the strength of connection between individuals, communities and nature – and I love what Enchanting Forest is doing, linking the arts to some very special nature,” said Henri Brocklebank.

Filmed by Murray Ballard and edited by Vasil Dzhagalov, the film captures the beauty of the landscape and the artists’ response to it, while the music (a continuation of the album will follow) weaves the sounds of nature with a variety of inspiring performances (sound recordings were done by Nico and musician/composer Stefanos Andreas). Among songs already released is the Seeds of Love which draws one of the earliest English folksongs of the same name and the Sussex Waltz, featuring fiddle and vocals by Elle Osborne and the natural soundscapes of Ebernoe Common. Watch the video below and on all global platforms. 

November’s show at the Corn Exchange at Brighton Dome was a truly magical and moving evening – and blew us away!

Hosted by Nicoleta, the Enchanting Forest film premiered and Nico chatted with Alice Eldridge and Henri Brocklebank about the connections between sound, ecology and place. The project was brought to life by the stars of the film who took to the stage: young folk musicians Jack Hogsden and Tobias McEwen joined their heroes the Copper family; the New Note Orchestra performed some breathtaking songs and talked about how music and nature help their healing journeys; Alice Russell wowed with a solo performance accompanied by Ben Jones on keys, and then joined the amazing Enchanting Forest choir. There were welcoming performances too by dancer Florence Leoni and musician Nuala Nova, wearing animal masks by artist John Moore.

The evening was particularly moving for the FWF team as David Alexander Yeoman, who dreamed up the project with Nicoleta and created the songs Lady of the Forest and Hymn for the Earth, sadly passed away in 2022.

We were overwhelmed by people’s reactions to the show – and there is more to come this year. The film will be shown at various venues in Brighton, including at POST Studios during Earth Week in April and at The Old Market’s β€˜Of Land, Sea and Sky’ event in May.

With heartfelt thanks to everyone who has helped bring this vision to life.

Image credits: Beth Steddon, Branded by Photography and Jen O’Brien