2,000 Voices Strong

Anyone who has been following my blogs for a while will know that I love choirs and choral music.  Choirs move me, they inspire me.   It’s not just the joyous, haunting, energetic sound that they can produce.  It’s that sense of camaraderie, connection, synergy that makes the “body” of the choir so special and it’s what they represent in terms of teamwork and leadership.  A choir, even in its infancy, is something that goes beyond the sum of its parts and which resonates with and touches every sense and emotion in my being.

Eric Whitacre did an extraordinary thing.  He created a virtual choir.  He uploaded the score of his own choral work with a piano accompaniment, along with a video of him conducting and invited singers around the world to download them for free.  He asked them to send back in return a video of them singing their part.  The results were mixed together and a choir of over 2,000 strong was created singing the piece “Sleep”.

The result is beautiful and you can watch Eric talking about the experience and hear a preview of “Sleep” by clicking here.  Eric himself says, “I cried when I heard this”.

Across the world people came together and felt the connection, and not just virtual connections were made, actual friendships and relationships began to be formed.Eric tells the story of how this project unfolded with a powerful and straightforward humility.  He is moved by what happened, compels us to listen and as the audience, we are drawn to be part of the experience too.   As well as listening to the music, watch Eric holding us in the palm of his hands, winning our hearts and minds and demonstrating that often elusive quality, “presence”.