Steel City Strings premiere Beaugeais’ Forest Bathing
Forest Bathing or shinrin-yoku draws on the Japanese concept of finding renewal within the natural landscape
Steel City Strings write:
“Katia’s new piece will offer respite from the hectic pace of the modern world, creating tranquil spaces for self-reflection, perhaps the essential wellsprings of mindfulness.”
3 Performances in 2025
2pm 14 September: Bowral Memorial Hall
730pm 20 September: Wollongong Art Gallery
2pm 21 September: Nowra School of Arts
Concert info:
https://steelcitystrings.com.au/events-calendar/
Composer’s Note – free to use for Concert Programs
Forest Bathing (2025) for string orchestra was commissioned by Wollongong-based chamber orchestra Steel City Strings for their 2025 concert series.
World premiere performances will take place on 14, 20 and 21 of September 2025 in Bowral, Wollongong and Nowra – across the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, and Southern Highlands of NSW regions of Australia.
Forest Bathing is inspired by the Japanese practice Shinrin-yoku: a process of therapeutic relaxation by immersing oneself in the natural environment of a forest to improve mental clarity, health, self-reflection and mindfulness in a natural way.
Forest bathing creates a musical space where we can stop, switch off, breathe and slow down. Forest nature-inspired sounds and melodies help reduce stress and enhance overall well-being: sunlight flickering through the trees, branches swaying, leaves rustling, birds tweeting and soft gusts of wind.
Opening with a soothing viola cadenza, bird and wind sound effects are heard alongside seagull glissando sounds and delicate pizzicato in the double bass.
The strings then enter one by one with soothing dream-like meditative melodic lines, shimmering harmonics, singing bird-like melodies and molto espressivo chorale-like chordal harmonies. Forest Bathing concludes with the upper strings tenderly playing the main melody as it gently floats away in the distance.
© July 2025 Concert Program Note by Katia Beaugeais
Sample Score pages coming soon…
