Thursday, December 22, 2011

Virtual Choir 3

Eric Whitacre rules!

For those of you who don't know, Eric Whitacre is an incredible composer and choral conductor. Two years ago he created his first virtual choir using video from a hundred and eighty-five people living in twelve different countries. It was a cool experiment in using technology to bring together people from around the globe in a beautiful, musical experience.

Last year he repeated the experience with a piece called "Sleep" - only this time, over two thousand people sent in videos. Whitacre and his team blended the voices and videos in a magnificent video that went viral. When I watched it, I vowed that, if he ever did another virtual choir, I was going to be a part of it.

Well, guess what? That's right. He's now announced the formation of his third virtual choir and yes, I'm already practicing the music. I'm an alto and have sung in choirs for years but this will be my first time singing all by myself in my study, making a recording of my performance and uploading it to join with thousands of others in creating something so much larger than myself. I am so psyched I can barely contain myself!

Use the links embedded above to listen to Eric's wonderful work. If you're a singer, consider joining this incredible undertaking. The piece he's chosen is difficult, with --are you ready for this? FOURTEEN-part harmony. How could you NOT be excited???

Off to sing it through again!

Diana


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