Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choirs Resonate With Beauty Made By Human Tribe

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir3, ‘Water Night’

What began just now as a Wired Magazine excursion into Planet TEDx, took a stunning, emotional turn into the world of classical composer and conductor Eric Whitacre and his global choral works produced by singers using their webcams. (Note, for heavens sake read the article on organizing TEDx events in your community.)

Torn between two competing interests, I speed read the article and returned to Whitacre, where I’m a puddle of tears.

In the TED video below Eric Whitacre describes an online experiment he’d recently carried out. “He posted the sheet music for one of his popular choral works, as well as a video of him conducting the work as a piano played along. Then he invited singers around the globe to perform their parts—soprano, alto, tenor, bass—in front of their own webcams.”

After hundreds of people responded with videos — many made 100 times or more until the performance was perfect to each individual — Whitacre arranged them into a simulation of a real-life choir, with himself as conductor. Speaking to the TED crowd, Whitacre explains that he was “moved to tears” when he first saw it—these singers “on their own desert islands, sending electronic messages in bottles to each other.”

I am so moved by this concept and admit to knowing nothing about it until this minute. Eric Whitacre’s website is another excursion all by itself. Thanks, Wired. I was struggling for something special to share this moment, and you delivered.

PS, I came to Wired from TED -- where I struck out in my quick swoop of recent TED Talks. Wired sent me right back to TED with a noble purpose of sharing this vision of our planet and people together. Of course, this is the AOC progressive vision of humanity that drives socialn conservatives mad and labels people like myself unpatriotic for my embrace of the global community.

It is here that hope for humanity lives, the idea that the power of our voices together can somehow stop the savagery of others toward each other. It seems appropriate to dedicate AOC’s introduction of Eric Whitacre’s ‘Water Night’ to a cease fire and an honest, viable attempt to stop the killing in Gaza and Israel. ~ Anne

Eric Whittaker at TED