TED: Virtual Internet Choir of 2,000

[Dave]

I know some of you have seen the TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) videos. Each selected speaker is given only seven minutes to present a summary of his work. They are always very interesting and (needless to say) concise.

In the following, composer Eric Whitacre tells how he put together a virtual choir via the Internet and YouTube. I can't introduce the video any better than by quoting the note sent to me:

"This is a wonderful evocation of what social media can do in a positive way. And a beautiful piece of music! ENJOY. I went to TED to see something else and this caught my eye. I'm so glad it did and hope you like it too."


Eric Whitacre: A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong

www.ted.com/talks/eric_whitacre_a_virtual_choir_2_000_voices_strong.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2011-04-05


wiki entry for TED:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TED_(conference)

[Dave]

At the beginning of the above video, Eric Whitacre tells of a "conversion" experience while standing in the midst of a choir and orchestra as it launched into the Kyrie of Mozart's Requiem.
Actually being there among the singers and instruments would have been an awe inspiring event for anyone. I remember singing in a massed choir years ago when we would put together an afternoon of music using the talents of over a dozen choirs and glee clubs in the valley and the sound was unforgettable.

[keith]

The only word I can use to describe the sound of his choir: ethereal.

[Dave]

Ethereal it is. In fact, maybe a little too much so. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the video and congratulate the composer on his creativity and work, I'd be pretty interested in a technical discussion of how the product came together. You don't just mix 2,000 audio tracks together and not come out with mush without a lot of ..... either fantastic technological break-through and/or a few short cuts. What do you think? Maybe it was 2,000 voices IN TOTAL, but all at once.

[keith]

Yeah there seemed to be a bit of hand waving going on. It's hard to believe that people could follow his conductor video that well as well as harmonize perfectly. While I can imagine tweeking the waveforms of each note of each singer to make it fit a template, it seems like an incredible amount of work. Of course computer generated animation seems like a lot of work to me and it's pretty common.

Perhaps we just watched a commercial for "the next big thing " in music production.