How Did Eric Whitacre Create a Virtual Choir of 2000 Voices?

TL;DR

Eric Whitacre created a virtual choir by inviting singers worldwide to submit videos of themselves performing his piece 'Lux Aurumque.' The initiative gathered over 2,000 participants from 58 countries and went viral, showcasing the power of technology to connect people through music and foster a global community.

Transcript

I wanted to be a rock star. I dreamed of it, and that's all I dreamed of. To be more accurate, I wanted to be a pop star. This was in the late '80s. And mostly I wanted to be the fifth member of Depeche Mode or Duran Duran. They wouldn't have me. I didn't read music, but I played synthesizers and drum machines. And I grew up in this little farming ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🎵 The speaker dreamed of being a pop star but ended up being a classical composer and conductor after joining a choir in college.
• 💡 The transformative experience of joining a choir and feeling a part of something bigger than oneself.
• 🌍 The creation of a virtual choir, where individuals from all over the world submit videos of themselves singing a piece of music.
• 💻 The power of technology to connect people and create a sense of community, even in a virtual setting.
• 🎶 The success and popularity of the virtual choir, with millions of views and participants from 58 different countries.
• 🎤 The emotional impact and personal stories shared by participants in the virtual choir.
• ✨ The idea that human beings will go to great lengths to find and connect with each other, regardless of the technology used.
• 👥 The sense of camaraderie and belonging that participants in the virtual choir experienced, despite never having met in person.

Questions & Answers

Q: What inspired Eric Whitacre to create a virtual choir?

A friend emailed him a YouTube link to a young woman, Britlin Losee, who had posted a fan video singing the soprano line to his piece "Sleep." Moved by how intimate and pure it was, Whitacre had the idea that if he could get 50 people to each sing their part (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) wherever they were in the world and post it to YouTube, he could cut it all together into a virtual choir.

Q: How does the virtual choir actually work?

Whitacre first filmed a conductor track of himself in complete silence, hearing the music only in his head, then added a piano track underneath so singers had something to follow. Singers downloaded the free sheet music, recorded their parts at home (some doing 50 or 60 takes), and uploaded the videos. Editor Scott Haines then aggregated all the clips, scrubbed the audio, and lined everything up.

Q: How did Eric Whitacre go from wanting to be a pop star to becoming a classical composer?

In the late '80s he dreamed of being a pop star, hoping to be the fifth member of Depeche Mode or Duran Duran. At the University of Nevada, Las Vegas he reluctantly joined the choir and was transformed. He later wrote a piece for choir as a gift to his conductor, got published, started conducting, and earned his master's degree at the Juilliard School.

Q: What was the first virtual choir piece?

The first virtual choir sang "Lux Aurumque," a piece Whitacre wrote in the year 2000 whose title means "light and gold." He made the download of the music free to attract singers. After Scott Haines edited the uploaded videos together, the finished virtual choir video went viral and gained a million hits in its first month.

Q: What made joining the college choir so transformative for Whitacre?

On his first day, the conductor gave the downbeat and the choir launched into the Kyrie from Mozart's "Requiem." Whitacre describes it as going from seeing in black and white to suddenly seeing in shocking Technicolor. Hearing the dissonance, harmony, and shared vision, he felt for the first time that he was part of something bigger than himself.

Q: How large did Virtual Choir 2.0 become?

Virtual Choir 2.0 grew to over 2,000 participants from around the world, drawn from 58 different countries. The goal had been to surpass an MTV video in which people from different countries sang a melody together, beating that record of 900 participants.

Q: How did taking part in the virtual choir affect the singers?

Participants felt a real sense of connection and community even though they had never met in person. They formed friendships and shared their experiences through testimonials, reflecting the idea that human beings will go to great lengths to find and connect with each other, whatever the technology.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Eric Whitacre wanted to be a pop star but found his passion for choir through a college invitation.

• He started composing and conducting and eventually came up with the idea of creating a virtual choir through YouTube videos.

• The virtual choir gained viral attention and led to the creation of Virtual Choir 2.0, which had over 2,000 participants from around the world.