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Eric Whitacre: the man and the music
Choral conductor, composer, YouTube sensation, and model (!) Eric Whitacre is high demand. His beautiful music is among the most popular and most performed by a living composer.
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1. Eric Whitacre
Eric Whitacre was born on 2 January 1970, in Reno, Nevada. He stayed close to home to study musical education as an undergraduate at the University of Nevada.
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2. Eric Whitacre, model
Composer, conductor, lecturer, and... model? Eric is on the books at the Storm modelling agency - adding modelling to the list of his talents!
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3. Eric Whitacre and Soaring Leap
Eric Whitacre's latest initiative is his 'Soaring Leap' workshops, where singers, instrumentalists, conductors and composers can explore his works. They discuss the text and compositional techniques.
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4. Light and Gold
Eric Whitacre has his own choir, the Eric Whitacre Singers, who feature on his albums. They performed at the launch of his album, 'Light & Gold'.
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5. Soaring Leap
Eric addresses the guests at the 'Soaring Leap' conference. Guest speakers, fellow composers, and visiting musicians often make an appearance to talk to the guests.
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6. The Eric Whitacre Singers
Eric Whitacre conducting the Eric Whitacre Singers at Union Chapel in London. He's performing a selection of Christmas music there in December 2012. Photo: Alexander MacNaughton
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7. Eric Whitacre, lecturer
When he's not speaking at 'Soaring Leap', Eric is also a lecturer and composer in residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University.
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8. The Eric Whitacre Singers
Eric Whitacre Singers, conducted by the man himself, at Yellow Lounge, London. Photo: A Michaelis
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9. Light and Gold and Cloudburst
Eric Whitacre won a Grammy Award for his 'Light & Gold' album in the Best Choral Performance category in 2012. 'Cloudburst' received a Grammy nomination in 2007 in the same category.
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10. Eric Whitacre at the 54th Grammy Awards
Eric Whitacre is a talented public speaker, and always lets his personality shine through when he addresses the audience at concerts. This is his acceptance speech at the Grammys, where he picked up an award in 2012.
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11. 'Whitacre chords'
Eric Whitacre's music is known for its 'Whitacre chords', where he clusters clashing notes on top of one another to create his signature spine-tingling harmonies.
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12. Eric Whitacre's rock star dreams
Aside from being conductor and composer, Eric dreamed of being a rock star when he was younger. He used to play the synthesizer in a techno-pop band!
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13. Lux Aurumque
Eric is also known for his 'Virtual Choir' projects. He invites singers to submit a video of themselves singing their own part, and combines them to create an international choir of performers.
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14. Virtual Choir
In order to keep the performers in his 'Virtual Choir' projects together, Eric releases a video of himself so the singers can follow the beat of the music.
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15. Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
Eric's 'Virtual Choir' videos have received more than 5million views on YouTube. 'Sleep', 'Lux Aurumque', and 'Water Night' have been recorded so far.
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16. Instrumental compositions
He might be famous for his choral music, but Eric Whitacre also writes a lot of instrumental music. He also transcribes some of his vocal pieces for strings, making the most of the rich harmonies and textures.
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17. Eric Whitacre, conductor
Eric talks the finer points of expression in his wonderful music, taking his place on the conductor's podium. Photo by Robert Garbolinski
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18. Eric Whitacre, conducting his own pieces
Eric Whitacre conducting his own music. He's written for a number of famous musicians including the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Julian Lloyd Webber, and Philharmonia Orchestra. Photo by Robert Garbolinski
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19. Eric Whitacre at the piano
Although primarily known as a choral composer, Eric Whitacre has written a number of works for solo voice. His wife, Hila Plitmann, sings soprano on 'Goodnight Moon'. Photo by Robert Garbolinski
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20. The Eric Whitacre Singers
Eric conducting the Eric Whitacre Singers at Yellow Lounge, London. Photo: A Michaelis
