Last week I had the delightful opportunity to interview the composer Eric Whitacre (subject of today’s “Friday Performance Pick”). We had dinner a couple of nights before a terrific concert by The Dallas Winds dedicated solely to his music. The house was sold out—Whitacre is practically a pop star—and the fact that he would be conducting added to the lure.
The title “composer” doesn’t convey the image of an artist like Whitacre. He’s a man of the times, a composer able to take the musical forms of our Classical heritage and infuse them with the best of today’s artistic and technological energies. His signature “Virtual Choir” (today’s Friday Performance Pick) is the most famous example, but his creative ear is continuously seeking material to draw in young people and produce a powerful (and beautiful) musical experience.
Over fajitas at a local Tex-Mex, we discussed how to configure the thirty-minute pre-concert interview that would be held on the stage of the Meyerson Concert Hall. Within seconds, it was clear that we could fill three hours of interview and leave the audience clamoring for more.
First, there is his own compelling story. Raised on a ranch in Nevada, he grew up daily experiencing the drama and challenges of nature. He famously was kicked out of high-school band for being, well, not particularly the ideal band student. Perfect story, isn’t it, for someone who today is an icon of the band world?
He ended up joining the choir in college and learned one of the timeless lessons of music: the key to expression is the voice. During those years, Whitacre was driving out under the endless Southwest skies and found himself trapped by the swift gathering of clouds in a particularly massive storm. From this experience, his concepts of time and space, harmony and tone were jolted into a new level of musical understanding.
Later on, he received a precious video emailed from a fan who simply wanted to sing one of his melodies as a way of telling him how much she loved his music. That video started him on the path to create a virtual choir by synchronizing clips of singers from all over the world performing the same work. The Virtual Choir has grown from hundreds to thousands of voices. The technological aspects of the endeavor are dazzling (to me, at least).
But my favorite thing about Whitacre is his genuine kindness, particularly towards young musicians. Watching him rehearse the 200+ choir of assembled high-school choristers for two evenings was a joy. He even had the adult players of The Dallas Winds laughing a lot during the evening. And believe me, that isn’t easy to do.
Backstage on concert night, the kids were abuzz with excitement. They weren’t just “singing” in a concert. They were partnering with Mr. Whitacre to create the magic of the evening. The guys, clad in their tuxes, and the girls, aglow in concert dresses and pearls, were all grasping cell phones. Why? Because in the final piece on the concert, Deep Sleep, they would be lined up two abreast in the aisles of the orchestra (main floor) of the hall. Standing inches from the audience’s seats, they would sing the unearthly tones of this delicate lullaby, creating soft pillows of harmonies that fade into a barely audible harmonic dusk. During the last section, they would lift their cell phones and activate a previously downloaded “app” that provided a gentle accompaniment to the final strains. Especially if you’re a high-schooler, could anything be cooler? Not surprisingly, the audience was hypnotized with delight.
I didn’t intend to write a concert review, but I do hope that today’s Friday Performance Pick will set you out on an exploration of Eric Whitacre’s music. I think you’ll enjoy the journey.
