Award-winning composer Pete M. Wyer is acutely attuned to the forest's symphony—its birdsong, rhythms, silences, and the subtle beauty of individual sounds revealed on a walk through the woods.

A far cry from his early days immersed in rock's rigid structures, Wyer now embraces a more organic form of music-making—like birds at dawn, each note unique, surrounding the listener with sound that can be moved through and around.

He often composes directly in nature, sitting among the trees and documenting sound in time and space. Using his Time Structured Mapping technique, he places instruments across a sonic landscape—each one a distinct point—and weaves them together.  A single birdcall may become a recurring motif, a thread running through an entire piece.

Over decades, Wyer has developed a singular approach to scoring music, inspired by the dawn chorus and realized through his pioneering work in spatial audio.  He is widely regarded as one of the most visionary composers of his generation.

The Forest Within features 72 voice choirs, including four-time Grammy winner The Crossing, singing in the Mohawk tongue. Wyer's installations have attracted more than 500,000 visitors at venues such as the New York Botanical Garden—but this version is uniquely curated for Omega Institute.

We invite you to explore your most immersive sense—hearing—through a 16-speaker audio installation woven into the heart of Omega's Sanctuary, or on a walk through our forest.

Learn More about Pete M. Wyer