Monday, May 27, 2013

"Virtual" choir that is actually a global social phenomenon

Contemporary choral composer Eric Whitacre has recently been collaborating with singers from all over the world through online social media to create what he calls "Virtual Choirs." When I first heard about this a year or two ago I was skeptical that someone could take recorded voices from so many people's computers and mix them together effectively to create "real" choral music.

Today I found that he's done a couple of talks with TED, and from watching them I came to realize the real point I was missing is not that they are creating "good music" with this digital voice mosaics, but that they are bringing together people from all over the globe, dozens of countries, political "enemies," people who will never meet in real life, and creating something beautiful together that is about the music – about what Boethius called musica humana – the harmony of human life and society.

The sound is pretty cool, but the idea is brilliant and beautiful.

Listen and watch Whitacre's TED Talk from 2011 here.
http://on.ted.com/Whitacre

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Singer-Songwriter Concert Wednesday May 29

Upcoming concert announcement:

We've been working hard to prepare an evening of great new songs to share. We'll be performing one medley and a set of all-new songs written by members of the group, including a new song of mine called "Brave Little Boy." The concert is free and open to the public, so I hope you'll be able to come out and hear us!

* Singer-Songwriter / Guitar Ensemble Concert *
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 @ 7:30 p.m.
Smith Recital Hall, Western Oregon University, Monmouth, OR
**Free


Thursday, May 2, 2013

Announcement: Amanda's Recital this Saturday!

I created a radio spot for Amanda's recital this coming Saturday night at 7:30 p.m., Smith Recital Hall.

You can listen to it on her ReverbNation page HERE.