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Whitacre

Pictures

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.

  1. Eric Whitacre

    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.

  2. Eric Whitacre conducting

    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!

  3. Eric Whitacre at soaring leap, london

    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.

  4. Eric Whitacre singers perfom light and gold

    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'.

  5. soaring leap

    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.

  6. Eric Whitacre singers at union chapel

    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

  7. Eric Whitacre soaring leap

    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.

  8. Eric Whitacre singers at yellow lounge london

    8. The Eric Whitacre Singers

    Eric Whitacre Singers, conducted by the man himself, at Yellow Lounge, London. Photo: A Michaelis

  9. Eric Whitacre holding his grammy award

    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.

  10. Eric Whitacre makes a speech at the grammy awards

    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.

  11. Eric Whitacre conducting

    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.

  12. Eric Whitacre model

    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!

  13. Eric Whitacre Lux Aurumque youtube virtual choir

    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.

  14. Eric Whitacre Lux Aurumque youtube virtual choir conducting

    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.

  15. Eric Whitacre Lux Aurumque youtube virtual choir

    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.

  16. Eric Whitacre composer

    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.

  17. eric whitacre takes an orchestral rehearsal

    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

  18. eric whitacre conducts

    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

  19. eric whitacre piano

    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

  20. Eric Whitacre Singers at Yellow Lounge

    20. The Eric Whitacre Singers

    Eric conducting the Eric Whitacre Singers at Yellow Lounge, London. Photo: A Michaelis

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Eric Whitacre

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