Eric Whitacre

I’d like to take the virtual choir a step further, and see if we can really start to make some delicate, nuanced music together. Our goal this time will be to sing with unified dynamics, vowels, and cutoffs, and to use only a conductor and a piano reduction as our guide.

First, I’ll record a conductor track this week, with me conducting and a friend playing the reduction on the piano. I’ll also record a separate video where I’ll discuss the piece, and try to illustrate a few musical concepts that everyone should try to achieve while performing their individual parts.

Charles Anthony Silvestri will post a video talking about his translation of the text. He’ll also speak each of the words with pure, perfect Latin vowels.

Then, Scottie will make individual part videos, one side of the screen showing the sheet music for the part you’ve selected to sing (soprano, alto, tenor, or bass) and one half of the screen with my conductor track.

If you’re interested in auditioning for the soprano solo, you’ll just post a video of the first eight measures of the piece, singing the solo in measures 5-8. We’ll choose our favorite and it will appear in the final video.

This will be the next step in the evolution of the group as we work toward the goal of premiering an original work (by yours truly) online. And this time, fellow choir geeks, NO EXCUSES. Get your webcams ready, get your nerve up, and POST YOUR PARTS before the deadline (which will probably be in September). Seriously, do you want to have to tell your grandkids that you could have been part of the coolest thing on earth (circa 2009) but that you just didn’t get around to it?