Blog

The Two Masters Together: Norman Luboff and Eric Ericson

Posted on January 28, 2012 at 7:12 am

In 1971, Norman Luboff appeared with Eric Ericson‘s Swedish Radio Choir on a Swedish television documentary. It’s incredible to see the two giants of the field talking together, watching them work – there’s a palpable sense of excitement in their collaboration. And aside from the groovy 70′s duds, it’s great to see that a successful choral rehearsal still looks exactly the same: lots of laughter, bright eyes, healthy singing.

 

 

One Week Left!

Posted on January 24, 2012 at 7:34 pm

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 3: Water Night‎

911 videos from 45 different countries thus far. ONE WEEK LEFT TO JOIN THE VIRTUAL CHOIR. MAKE HISTORY WITH US.

Soaring Leap: Columbus; May 3rd, 2012

Posted on January 23, 2012 at 9:13 pm

It’s official: Soaring Leap: Columbus, Ohio; Thursday, May 3rd. We’ll spend the day at Capital University, singing and exploring the music together. Join us!

Photo by Nhick Ramiro.

The European Premiere of The Chelsea Carol, Jan. 25, 2012

Posted on January 21, 2012 at 11:09 pm

Wednesday night, Jan. 25th, I’ll be conducting the European premiere of my new work for choir and organ, The Chelsea Carol. 6:45 Vespers service in the Sidney Sussex chapel, Cambridge. (And you’ll get to hear a mountain of other beautiful music performed by Dr. David Skinner and The Choir of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, including Super flumina Babylonis (Palestrina) and Magnificat Primi Toni (De Rore). Join us!

Join The Commissioning Consortium: Goodnight Moon for SATB Choir and Piano

Posted on January 19, 2012 at 2:30 pm

Over the past six years I must have read Goodnight Moon to my son a thousand times, maybe more. Somewhere around reading number 500 I began hearing little musical fragments as I read, and over time those fragments began to blossom into a simple, sweet lullaby. I knew it was a long shot, but I asked my manager, Claire Long, to contact HarperCollins and see if they would allow the text to be set to music. To my surprise and delight they agreed – the first time they had ever allowed Goodnight Moon to be used in such a way.

I composed the piece relatively quickly, setting the text for harp, string orchestra, and my wife, soprano Hila Plitmann. (It will appear on the new Decca album, out this Spring).

Now I would like to adapt Goodnight Moon for mixed chorus and piano, and I would like to extend the invitation to choirs, ensembles and conductors to join a commissioning consortium. Members of the consortium will be granted exclusive performing rights from August 1st, 2012 to January 1st, 2013, and the name of the school or ensemble and their musical director will appear in the score, to be published by Chester Music. A single ‘lead commissioner’ will be granted the very first performance, the opportunity to give the piece its world premiere.

Like so many other parents, Goodnight Moon is so close to my heart. Thank you for helping me bring this piece into the world.

Click here for all the details.

 

    Here we go again…

  • Leopold Plantenhof: Eric Whitacre put behind bars. Fans weep.
  • Hans-Joachim Lustig: Looking forward to performing the result! ;-)
  • Dan: Can't wait to hear whatever ends up on that piece of paper! ;-)

    • New York Idea

  • Elizabeth Healy: Hi, good fun.. and I like the NY skyline sound file pattern! ( But I think you mean "motif" rather than "motive"?) E
  • Charles Anthony Silvestri: The sound file even looks like New York!
  • Donald Sosin: Love your music, the Sleep video moved me to tears. This NY clip sounds like the Magic Flute ovt. a bit. My own NYC music for the silent film MANHATTA (1920), a 12 minute ode to the city by Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand, has been recorded by a Slovak chamber orchestra, and can
  • Courtney Lea: Glad to know I'm not the only one who does this but with my camera.
  • Jamie Diamond: I do this all the time when melodies strike! My only problem is finding a good way to somehow capture the harmonies and context that go with it, because I'm sure to forget those too, and then the magic's gone. :( Still, very cool knowing you do this too.

    • Soaring Leap: Ohio – What a Day

  • Orry Burbott Dixon: I would go to Colorado from Florida for another class!
  • Orry Burbott Dixon: Thank you so much Eric, Capital University, and the Producers and Staff that helped make this a dream come true for me. I will never forget this experience. It was truly magical! I cant wait to attend the next soaring leap here in the states.
  • Jon Fisher: That was great! (Amazing, especially after only 25 min.) When will there be a "Soaring Leap: Colorado"??? :-D

    • The First Ideas

  • Joshua Leath: Ok...what would it take to get a signed print of that!?
  • Colin Williams: I love the chance to see inside a great composers head. It truly does help student composers like myself to understand what the great composers where thinking about while writing. I was, however, curious as to if the circle on the bottom could be explained. Its quite an interesting and detailed sketch that I would
  • Dennis Scannell: Ah!!! So this is the kind of thing you and John Corigliano were discussing in the postlude to the VC3 launch at Lincoln Center! That really was a revelation — revolting against “the tyranny of harmony”. It all makes so much sense, and speaks to the transporting quality of your music. Such an
  • Aviel Mann Ballo: James Kenney put it very well, sir. Your handwriting alone is magical.
  • James Kenney: As long as I've taught music (31 years a college prof.) and my Guildhall School of Music, London, post-grad degree; looking at this score, I feel as though I know nothing. (I even find Crumb's "Makrokosmos" more comprehensible.) To me, your music is, not only among the most beautiful ever created by anyone

    • Madrid

  • Jeremiah Witte: I loved Madrid when I visited a while ago. It's a beautiful city. If only you could catch a Real Madrid game!

    • The Rules

  • Aviel Mann Ballo: This must be an oddball choir. Love it.
  • Kate Rothman: Out of the mouths of babes ; )

    • The Virtual Choir: How We Did It

  • Jennifer: Wow, this is ethereal and truly beautiful, congratulations on a great concept! Jen