Best of the Bay 2025 Editors' Pick: Wendy Reid and Lulu - 48 hills

"Musicians and co-composers Wendy Reid and Lulu have lived and worked collaboratively for nearly two decades. It is impossible, and probably unimportant, to determine which of the two is the more dynamic performer. Reid is a gifted, classically-trained violinist whose extensive portfolio of work veers from classical music's realm into contemporary new music. Lulu is an intuitive, improvisational, occasionally mercurial, and consistently mesmerizing vocalist who happens to be an African grey parrot."

"The atmosphere at their outdoor concerts is casual, with people invited to find seating on the grass and park benches or blankets and camping chairs brought from home. Some audience members choose to wander about, sampling the difference directionality and distance from the performers can make. Sounds of a creek, wind in the trees, bird calls, squirrels rustling in fallen leaves, and occasional sirens, vehicle engines, or human conversations add spontaneity and vulnerability to the ambiance."

Wendy Reid and Lulu have collaborated musically for nearly twenty years, blending classical violin with improvisational avian vocals. Reid brings formal training and a repertoire that spans classical and contemporary new music. Lulu provides intuitive, mercurial, and mesmerizing vocal improvisation as an African grey parrot. A City of Berkeley civic arts grant supports Reid's Ambient Bird-Berkeley project for 2025–26, with planned outdoor performances at Live Oak, Indian Rock, and Ohlone Park. Outdoor concerts encourage casual seating and audience movement, allowing environmental sounds and distance to shape each performance's spontaneity and vulnerability.

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