Eric Edward Whitacre (born January2, 1970) is an American composer, conductor, and speaker best known for his choral music.

Early life

Whitacre was born in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, to Ross and Roxanne Whitacre. He studied piano intermittently as a child and joined a junior high marching band under band leader Jim Burnett. Later Whitacre played a synthesizer in a techno-pop band, dreaming of being a rock star. Although he initially resisted joining choir while attending college, Whitacre was eventually convinced. He described his own experience with his first choral rehearsal as a turning point in his life, saying, "In my entire life I had seen in black and white, and suddenly everything was in shocking Technicolor. It was the most transformative experience I've ever had—in that single moment, hearing dissonance and harmony, and people singing...". Though he was unable to read music at the time, Whitacre began his full musical training while he was an undergraduate at the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...

. He eventually earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in Music Composition.

Career

Whitacre studied composition with Ukrainian composer Virko Baley and choral conducting with David B. Weiller, completing his bachelor's degree in 1995. Whitacre credits Weiller with the inspiration that put the young composer on the musical path. At 21, he wrote his setting of "Go, Lovely Rose" for his college choir and presented the composition as a gift to David Weiller. Whitacre went on to earn his master's degree in composition at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

, where he studied with John Corigliano and David Diamond.''Composers On Composing For Band'', Volume 2. Ed. Mark Camphouse, GIA Publications, 2004, pp. 253–262. At the age of 23 he completed his first piece for wind orchestra, "Ghost Train", which has now been recorded more than 40 times. Tom Leslie contributed to his interest in writing for wind ensembles. While at Juilliard he met his future wife, soprano Hila Plitmann, and two of his closest friends, composers Steven Bryant and Jonathan Newman. He lived in Nevada until he was 25. He graduated in 1997 and moved to Los Angeles, and then decided to become a full-time professional composer following the success of ''Ghost Train''. Whitacre's first album as both composer and conductor on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

, ''Light& Gold'', won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in 2012, and became the No.1 classical album on the US and UK charts within a week of release. Whitacre's second album, ''Water Night'', was released on Decca in April2012 and featured performances from his professional choir the Eric Whitacre Singers, the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

, Julian Lloyd Webber and Hila Plitmann. Around January 25, 2011, Whitacre began working with film composer

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...

on the music for '' Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides''. Whitacre co-composed the "Mermaid Theme" with Zimmer as well as conducting some of the choral sessions at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

. His wife, Hila Plitmann, sang the solo material in the theme, having also invented the language the mermaids were singing in the film, a combination of Latin, Hebrew and, as she says, 'Elvish'. Whitacre enjoyed working with Zimmer, saying that he was a brilliant composer and a generous collaborator. Whitacre later collaborated with Zimmer for the 2016 film '' Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice''. Whitacre has written for the London Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Chorus, the

Los Angeles Master Chorale The Los Angeles Master Chorale is a professional Choir, chorus in Los Angeles, California, and one of the resident companies of both The Music Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1964 by Roger Wagner to be one ...

, Chanticleer, Julian Lloyd Webber and the

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...

, the Tallis Scholars, the King's Singers, Dallas Winds, the Berlin Rundfunkchor, and the Minnesota Orchestra, among others. His work of music theater, '' Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings'',''Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings''
ericwhitacre.com won the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

' Harold Arlen Award and the Richard Rodgers Award, and earned 10 nominations at the Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Awards. In 2011, he conducted the winning entries of the Abbey Road 80th Anniversary Anthem Competition, recording the London Symphony Orchestra and the Eric Whitacre Singers at Abbey Road Studio1. Whitacre's Soaring Leap initiative is a dynamic one-day workshop where singers, conductors, and composers read, rehearse and perform several of his works. Whitacre composed "The River Cam", a work for cello and strings for the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber's sixtieth birthday, which he premiered on 14 April 2011 at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...

, South Bank Centre London with the

. It has been recorded by Julian Lloyd Webber with the London Symphony Orchestra with Whitacre conducting for

. The inspiration for the piece was the

River Cam The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distanc ...

that flows past

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

where Eric Whitacre was a visiting fellow in 2010. From October to December2010, Whitacre was a visiting fellow at

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College (historically known as "Sussex College" and today referred to informally as "Sidney") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1 ...

, during Michaelmas (Autumn) Term. He composed a piece for the college choir, and worked with students in masterclasses and workshops. From 2011 to 2016, he was composer in residence at Sidney Sussex College. Whitacre was appointed artist in residence with the

from 2016. In July 2017, he co-presented the Eurovision Choir of the Year.

Personal life

From 1998 to 2017, Whitacre was married to Israeli singer Hila Plitmann. They have a son together, Esh Edward (b. 2005). Whitacre married Belgian opera singer Laurence Servaes in

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

, Hawaii, in March 2019. They have a son together, Julian (b. 2020).

Style

A trademark of Whitacre's pieces is the use of aleatoric and indeterminate sections, as well as unusual score instructions involving, in some cases, hand actions or props. His work has been described as "weightless" and as the "sort of music Vaughan Williams might have composed in the Cambridge branch of Dunkin' Donuts".

Anthony Tommasini Anthony Carl Tommasini (born April 14, 1948) is an American music critic and author who specializes in classical music. Described as "a discerning critic, whose taste, knowledge and judgment have made him a must-read", Tommasini was the chief c ...

described Whitacre's "Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine" in 2005 as "full of sound effects, portentous harmony and fractured riffs", writing that "the music was rather hokey, like a choral equivalent of a blatant film score." Other critics have described his style as "full of shimmering, shuddering, shifting harmonies that awaken the ear to a contemporary yet accessible voice". Whitacre's style, similar to Morten Lauridsen's, has also been characterized as "neo- impressionistic".

Projects

Virtual Choir

Whitacre's Virtual Choir projects were inspired by a video sent to him of a young girl named Britlin Losee from Glen Cove, New York, singing one of his choral pieces. Singers record and upload their videos from locations all over the world. Each one of the videos is then synchronised and combined into one single performance to create the Virtual Choir. Whitacre began with a test run of ''

Sleep Sleep is a state of reduced mental and physical activity in which consciousness is altered and certain Sensory nervous system, sensory activity is inhibited. During sleep, there is a marked decrease in muscle activity and interactions with th ...

'', then '' Lux Aurumque'' in 2009 and then ''Sleep'' again in 2010. Whitacre's Virtual Choir performance of ''Lux Aurumque'' has received almost 6.5million views (as of July2020), featuring 185 singers from 12 countries. Whitacre's Virtual Choir2.0, "Sleep" was released in April2011 and involved more than 2,000 voices from 58 countries. Virtual Choir 3, '' Water Night'', written in 1995, combined 3,746 submissions from 73 countries and was released in April2012. By the entry close date of February1, 2012, 3,746 videos had been uploaded by 2,945 people in 73 countries, singing one or more parts of "Water Night". On April 15, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'', the "Water Night" Virtual Choir video was shown in the new

Titanic Belfast ''Titanic'' Belfast is a visitor attraction in Northern Ireland, which opened in 2012. A monument to Belfast's maritime heritage on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard in the city's Titanic Quarter where the was built. It tells ...

commemorative building. Virtual Choir4, "Fly to Paradise", contains 8,409 videos from 5,905 people from 101 countries. It launched at the Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace/BBC1 on July11, 2013. The virtual World of Color Honor Choir was put together in 2013 by Whitacre and Disney. The song "Glow" was written for the event. The final product included singers from all over the United States, totaling 1,473 singers. The Virtual Youth Choir, in association with UNICEF, launched at the Glasgow

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...

opening ceremony. It featured 2,292 singers aged 18 and under from more than 80 countries. On May 4, 2018, Whitacre announced that Virtual Choir 5 would be his 2015 piece ''Deep Field''. Other Virtual Choir projects include 'Glow' written for the Winter Dreams holiday show at Disneyland Adventure Park, California. To date, the virtual choirs have registered more than 60 million views. On May 2, 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Whitacre announced that the sixth iteration of the Virtual Choir would be an original song entitled "Sing Gently". It featured 17,572 singers from 129 countries, including 16 performers using Sign Language. It had its world premiere on YouTube on July 19, 2020. In December 2020, ''Sing as One'', an album of Whitacre's virtual choirs, was released. The album contains recordings of all eight virtual choirs.

''Deep Field''

''Deep Field: The Impossible Magnitude of the Universe'' is a 4k film for

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...

, cinema, projection in concert with live orchestra and for screenings at arts and science events. It is an audiovisual collaboration between Eric Whitacre,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

, the

Space Telescope Science Institute The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is the science operations center for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), science operations and mission operations center for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and science operations center for the ...

, Music Productions and 59 Productions. It premiered at

Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten NASA facilities#List of field c ...

(Florida) in 2018 and has since been at Smithsonian Air & Space Museum,

Dolby Theatre The Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre) is a live-performance auditorium in the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue (Los Angeles), Highland Avenue, in the Holly ...

, the

World Science Festival The World Science Festival is an annual science festival hosted by the World Science Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York City. There is also an Asia-Pacific event held in Brisbane, Australia. The foundation's go ...

, Griffith Observatory, the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

Annual Meeting and in concert halls. The film is part of several STEAM education programs in North America, Europe and elsewhere. The film is inspired by the

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...

, and its greatest discovery, the Deep Field image. The soundtrack composed by Whitacre features the Virtual Choir 5, representing 120 countries: more than 8,000 voices aged four to 87, alongside the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

and Eric Whitacre Singers.

Eric Whitacre Singers

The choir performs music from the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

through to the current day, including Lauridsen, Britten, and the work of their founder and conductor. The Eric Whitacre Singers made their

BBC Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...

debut in 2012 in a program that included a collaboration with singer/songwriter

Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap ( ; born 9 December 1977) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. She is considered a pioneer in pop music, particularly electropop, and in music technology. While attending the ...

. The choir also sang at the Templeton Prize Laureate Ceremony for

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

alongside

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart w ...

, and the London African Gospel Choir. They work regularly with British soul artist Laura Mvula, and featured at the iTunes Festival, broadcast to 119 countries, performing with

, and at an experiential installation for Anya Hindmarch in 2018.

Recording projects

Whitacre's first album with Decca, ''Light& Gold'', was released in October2010. This album won the Grammy for Best Choral Performance in 2012. Whitacre's second Decca album, ''Water Night'', was released in April2012 in the United States. Since 2013, Whitacre has been releasing on his own independent label, UNQUIET, established as a joint venture with his managers at Music Productions. Feature releases on UNQUIET include ''Deep Field'', ''Goodnight Moon'' and a 10-inch gatefold vinyl featuring Whitacre's choral cover of Trent Reznor's "Hurt" and his setting of E. E. Cummings' "i carry your heart".

Performance projects

On October24, 2010, Whitacre conducted an all-American program with the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at the Barbican London in a performance that featured his commission for the London Symphony Chorus entitled ''Songs of Immortality''. In December2010, Whitacre conducted the I Vocalisti choir in Hamburg, and was a guest conductor of the Christmas performance of the Berlin Rundfunkchor. In November2010, Whitacre conducted Côrdydd, a Cardiff-based mixed choir, and friends in a concert of his work at the BBC Hoddinott Hall in the Wales Millennium Centre. He continued to develop his work of music theater, '' Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings''. A concert version was given at Carnegie Hall in 2010. Whitacre is a founding member of BCM International, a quartet of composers consisting of himself, Steven Bryant, Jonathan Newman, and James Bonney, which aspires to "enrich the wind ensemble repertoire with music unbound by traditional thought or idiomatic cliché." Whitacre made his BBC Proms debut with a late-night Prom in 2012. In 2015, he returned to the Proms to conduct a program of all-American music with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Singers, and BBC Chorus. In 2015, Whitacre wrote ''Deep Field'' for orchestra, chorus, and mobile app; the piece was inspired by the Hubble Deep Field images and audience members play electronica from their smartphone apps. In June 2014, Whitacre gave a live webcast from the Kennedy Center and subsequently conducted a massed choir of 400 singers on the Mall, Washington D.C., to mark Flag Day and the bicentenary of "The Star-Spangled Banner".

''The Sacred Veil''

Composed in 2018, '' The Sacred Veil'' is a 12-movement work from Whitacre and poet/lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri. Silvestri's wife, Julie, died of ovarian cancer at age 36 in 2005, leaving two young children. His texts (written collaboratively with Whitacre) and the score tell a story of courtship, love, loss and the search for solace. The ''Los Angeles Times'' described the work as "memorably elebratingthe precarious beauty of life, offering the welcome consolation of art and a momentary stay against our collective fate." The work was premiered at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, in February 2019, and recordings released in late August 2020.

Awards and honors

Whitacre has won awards from the Barlow international composition competition,

American Choral Directors Association The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting the field of choral music A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Lat ...

, American Composers Forum and in 2001 became the recipient of The Raymond W. Brock Commission given by the American Choral Directors Association., Retrieved March 2016 His work of music theater ''Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings'' earned him a Richard Rodgers Award and received 10 nominations at the 2007 Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Awards. The album '' Cloudburst and Other Choral Works'' received a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nomination in 2007 for Best Choral Performance. Later, his album "Light& Gold" won a Grammy for Best Choral Performance in 2012.

Works

Wind ensemble

October October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus , October retained its name (from Latin and Greek ''ôctō'' meaning "eight") after Januar ...

(choral transcription) * Lux Aurumque (transcription of the choral work, transposed a semitone lower from C-sharp minor to C minor) * Cloudburst (choral transcription) * Libertas Imperio (From '' Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings'') * Ghost Train * Equus * Noisy Wheels of Joy * The Seal Lullaby (choral transcription) * Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!

Choral

* A Boy and a Girl (poem by Octavio Paz) * Alleluia (adapted from his ''

'') * Animal Crackers Volume 1 * Animal Crackers Volume 2 * Child of Wonder * Cloudburst (poem by Octavio Paz) * Deep Field * Enjoy the Silence (arrangement of Martin Gore /

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

song of the same name) * Five Hebrew Love Songs * Fly to Paradise (Virtual Choir 4) * Glow (Commissioned by

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

for World of Color Winter Dreams; lyrics by Edward Esch) *

Goodnight Moon ''Goodnight Moon'' is an American Children's literature, children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was published on September 3, 1947, and is a highly acclaimed bedtime story. This book is the second in ...

(arrangement of the children's book, initially for soprano, subsequently SSA and SATB) * Her Sacred Spirit Soars (poem by Charles Anthony Silvestri) * Higher, Faster, Stronger (written for the BBC Proms in 2012) * ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

'', 2023 (with Voces8) * Hurt (arrangement of Trent Reznor /

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

song of the same name) * i carry your heart (poem by E. E. Cummings) * Little Birds * Little Tree * Lux Aurumque (poem by Edward Esch; translated into Latin by Charles Anthony Silvestri) (also set for male chorus) * Lux Nova (text by Edward Esch; translated into Latin by Charles Anthony Silvestri) * Nox Aurumque (poem by Charles Anthony Silvestri) * Oculi Omnium * Psalm 137: By the Waters of Babylon (written originally for The Choir of Sidney Sussex, Cambridge and Dr. David Skinner, not yet published) * Sainte-Chapelle (commissioned by the Tallis Scholars to commemorate their 40th anniversary) * The Seal Lullaby (poem by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

) * She Weeps Over Rahoon (poem by

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

) * Sing Gently (Virtual Choir 6) *

(originally a setting of

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American Colloquialism, colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New E ...

's poem, " Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"; for copyright reasons the published version uses a specially-written text by Charles Anthony Silvestri) * Sleep, My Child (Choral transcription from '' Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings,'' also written for Concert Band) * Songs of Immortality *# Lie still, sleep becalmed (text from Dylan Thomas's '' Deaths and Entrances'') *# Do not go gentle into that good night (text from Dylan Thomas's poem of that name) *# After great pain (text by

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

) * The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus (for SATB chorus, Children's chorus and piano, text by Ogden Nash) * The Chelsea Carol (commissioned by the Choirs of Birmingham-Southern College and Lester Seigel, text by Charles Anthony Silvestri) * The City and the Sea (setting of five poems by E. E. Cummings) *# i walked the boulevard *# the moon is hiding in her hair *# maggie and milly and molly and may *# as is the sea marvelous *# little man in a hurry * The Sacred Veil (lyrics by Charles Anthony Silvestri) * The Star-Spangled Banner (text by Francis Scott Key) * The Stolen Child (for SATB choir & six solo voices or chamber choir, joint commission by the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and the

King's Singers The King's Singers are a British a cappella Choir, vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College, Cambridge, King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six Choir of King's College, Cambridge, chor ...

) * This Marriage * Three Flower Songs *# I Hide Myself (poem by Emily Dickinson) *# With a Lily in Your Hand (poem by

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a g ...

) *# Go, Lovely Rose (poem by Edmund Waller) * Three Songs of Faith (poems by E. E. Cummings) *# i will wade out *# hope faith life love *# i thank You God for most this amazing day * Very Soon * Water Night (poem by Octavio Paz; translated by Muriel Rukeyser) * When David Heard

Other choral works

* Alone (poem by Edgar Allan Poe, for male voice sextet) * Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine (poem by Charles Anthony Silvestri, for SSATB & percussion)

Orchestra

* Deep Field * Godzilla Eats Las Vegas *

* The River Cam * Water Night * Winter

Music theatre

* '' Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings'', music theater

Other arrangements

* Five Hebrew Love Songs; for soprano voice, solo violin, piano * Goodnight Moon; for soprano voice and string orchestra

Film and television

* '' Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'', co-composer (with

) of the Mermaid Theme and choral segments * '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', Choirmaster. Vocalists: Hila Plitmann, Dominic Lewis, Tory Letzler. Eric Whitacre Singers used in choral segments * '' How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World'', with composer John Powell. Eric Whitacre Singers used in choral segments * ''Trigger,'' stock music * '' Kung Fu Panda 3'', Conductor and vocal arrangements * ''Alligator Alley'', stock music * ''The Great American Songs'', composer * ''Enjoy the Silence'', composer

References

External links

*
Biography on Hyperion Records

at TED about the virtual choir
Classical Archives interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitacre, Eric 1970 births 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American classical composers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American classical composers American male classical composers American choral composers Concert band composers Juilliard School alumni Living people Pupils of David Diamond (composer) University of Nevada, Las Vegas alumni