Episode 97: The Music of Trees

Episode 97:
The Music of Trees

Guest: Geoff Robb

Hosted by: Marina Robb

Geoff Robb

Geoff Robb was the winner of the Brighton Fringe Live Music Award and his beautiful meditative compositions blend his classical training and background in healing with his love of Spanish and Celtic music.
He is currently touring his show ‘The Music of Trees’ which blends magical storytelling and virtuoso guitar that promises to transport you out into the woods.
Inspired by the wonder of the natural world, ‘The Music of Trees’ weaves together storytelling, woodland folklore and mythology with a suite of original compositions featuring Geoff’s signature blend of classical, jazz, Celtic and Spanish influences.
A master of the acoustic guitar with an intricate, richly harmonic style, Geoff has performed to audiences across the UK and Europe, at venues ranging from Buckingham Palace and The House of Commons to Glastonbury Festival.

His show, ‘The Music of Trees’, earned him rave reviews at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe.
He performs on both steel string and nylon string guitars including a beautiful Maple guitar he built himself with the expert help of luthiers Richard Osborne and Cameron Mobbs.

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In this episode ...

For this episode, I’m joined by my husband Geoff Robb - musician, composer and co-director of The Outdoor Teacher, to explore his lifelong relationship with music and nature, and the story behind The Music of Trees.

We discuss....

Geoff’s journey from classical guitar and years of busking to becoming a professional musician, composer and creator of The Music of Trees.
How his early experiences with Reiki and healing opened questions about music, creativity and where inspiration might come from.
Geoff’s lifelong relationship with the outdoors, from Forest School Camps as a teenager to the deeper nature-connection practices we later explored together.
What it means to listen to nature, ask permission and build a relationship with individual trees - without needing to claim certainty about what is happening.
How the willow became a turning point in Geoff’s composing, and how music sometimes seems to arrive unexpectedly rather than being consciously created.
The story behind The Music of Trees - combining original guitar music with folklore, ecology, storytelling and the remarkable lives of trees.
Ancient yews, tree protectors, Julia Butterfly Hill and the people who have stood up for trees when trees cannot speak for themselves.
How COVID brought Geoff’s work as a musician almost to a standstill, but also gave him time in the woods to write more music than he had written in the previous several years - much of which became Music of Trees.
How that period also brought Geoff into The Outdoor Teacher, combining his technical and business experience with our shared commitment to helping more people access nature.
The changing reality of being a musician in the age of Spotify, streaming and AI and why supporting live music and independent artists matters more than ever.

Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com