We are fortunate to have an Eric Whitacre in our camp – he is easily the most recognizable face of choral music to the world today. Where does that put him in history? I don’t know – maybe a successor to Robert Shaw? Is there anyone else in the history of choral music that has put what we do in front of so many of the world’s population?
This TEDtalk is important – the world’s elite watch these talks and attend the TEDgatherings. Eric is both connecting with the world with his message of “connection” to the TEDfollowers as well as with the millions of people that will watch and be moved by his Virtual Choir 2.0 video.
We choral directors are bred to turn our noses up at anything that is popular and attractive to the rest of the world’s population. In essence, we deal in the obscure – it is difficult to get any attention for what we do on a national or international scale – even though we know that we touch lives and serve an important function for our students, our community, and our art.
Eric is a gift to our profession – he is one of the most gifted composers we have – he is connecting with the world on an international scale – and he is fusing technology with our art in a profoundly fascinating way.
My message is this: embrace Eric’s work. Show it to your students. Let them know that they can be a part of something special when they join a choir.
philip copeland says
Edward Palmer says
Tom Carter says