I saw his Ted talk and was very moved by the thought of all those people, all over the world, enjoying the same music and participating in the same activity.

His music is not always easy to sing. The notes are not difficult for trained singers, but the phrasing can be counterintuitive. The result is beautiful, almost holy, music. I love to watch him conduct, his control is poetry in motion. Yes, the thought of all those people studying, practicing, and coming together in a virtual choir is inspiring. Whitacre has done four virtual choir pieces and is working on a fifth for young people (18 and younger). I just saw on his Facebook page that a six year old is the youngest to sign up. I look forward to seeing and hearing the next one!

Our choral society (and most others) is off for the summer. Next month I am going to sing with others from many towns and counties who are coming together just for a few performances. It will help me stay "tuned." And I am thinking of joining the next virtual choir if it is my age group :-)

Kswl, have you performed his Cloudburst? Our chorus found it a challenge..,and amazing!
My book club read this book( by Muriel Barbery) We loved it, though the first half was a slough.
Any who sing, or have sung, in a chorus will appreciate this beautiful and true tribute.

A quote from âÂÂThe Elegance of the Hedgehogâ regarding choirs:
âÂÂEvery time, itâÂÂs a miracle. Here are all these people, full of heartache or hatred or desire, and we all have our troubles and the school year is filled with vulgarity and triviality and consequence, and there are all these teachers and kids of every shape and size, and thereâÂÂs this life weâÂÂre struggling through full of shouting and tears and laughter and fights and break-ups and dashed hopes and unexpected luck-it all disappears, just like that, when the choir begins to sing. Everyday life vanishes into song, you are suddenly overcome with a feeling of brotherhood, of deep solidarity, even love, and it diffuses the ugliness of everyday life into a spirit of perfect communion.âÂÂ

I love that quote, Martinca--- and the rest of the book ----as it perfectly states the magic of choral singing. Never have sung Cloudburst but LOVE it. Have sung the Five Hebrew Love Songs and Alelluia....have no favorite of his works because they are all so interesting. He says wryly that his ambition was to become a rock star. Thank God he became a composer instead!

Wow! We (DH and I) sang this a couple of years ago in a choral performance. Had to memorize it. It was our annual 'living Christmas Tree' and our director picks some very challenging music. This was one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing this. I, too, love the quote, Martinca.

It's nice to see other singers are also on GW :-)