The Art of Whistling: JCU Welcomes Elena Somarè
On February 25, 2025, John Cabot University had the pleasure of hosting a concert-lecture in the Aula Magna Regina to showcase the talents of renowned melodic whistler Elena Somarè. She was accompanied by Mats Hedberg, a Swedish guitarist, composer, and arranger of much of her music. The event was organized and sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages and Literature.
Along with the performance, Somarè offered the historical context and meaning behind every composition. She narrated the history of whistling and the challenges she and other women artists have faced throughout their careers. Somarè and Hedberg have released four studio albums, as well as performed concerts all over the world, with a wide repertoire of genres, from Neapolitan songs to South American rhythms, sacred tunes, and pop-rock hits.
Whistling: Resistance and Gender
Elena Somarè has dedicated over 10 years to the art of whistling. She has successfully renewed this ancient technique and transformed it into a modern art of its own. Since its first documented recordings, whistling has always been associated with negative stereotypes. In his introduction, Professor Paolo Prato said that it was once described as “a circus-like phenomenon to be exhibited and made fun of.” At the same time, whistling has always been a source of entertainment across the globe.
“Whistle is our first language,” said Somarè. She explained how human speech might have originated from hearing birds singing. In music history, whistle sounds have always been used to interpret birds’ songs. To support this, Somarè performed a whistled rendition of Blackbird by the Beatles, a song that was originally inspired by the acts of resistance of the Black Power movement in the U.S., sparked by Rosa Parks in 1955.
Professor Prato explained how “whistling is beyond gender,” since you can’t identify the whistler just by listening to them. However, in many cultures, women are still forbidden to whistle. Somarè mentioned some sayings that exemplify this, like “A whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither fit for God nor for men.” At one point in history, women whistlers were even considered witches. In the 20th century, whistling became a form of feminist resistance and women’s empowerment. This is reflected in the story of American whistler Alice J. Shaw (1853-1918), who became a symbol of resistance for the Suffragette movement, as well as Cuban singer Isolina Carrillo, who rose to international fame in the 1940s.
To close the concert, Somarè urged the audience to think of whistling as just another type of musical instrument. “Whistling is a voice – it’s our other voice,” she said. “What I really hope is that, after this concert, you won’t think of whistling as a strange thing, but as just another voice that can interpret music in a different way.”
Watch The Art of Whistling featuring Elena Somarè and Mats Hedberg.
