Eric Whitacre

Eric Whitacre – Life, Music & Legacy

Discover the life, work, and philosophy of Eric Whitacre (born January 2, 1970), the American composer, conductor, and pioneer of the Virtual Choir. Explore his early influences, signature style, virtual innovations, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Eric Edward Whitacre is an American composer, conductor, and speaker whose choral, orchestral, and wind ensemble music has earned him wide acclaim in contemporary classical music. He is especially known for his lush harmonies, emotive writing, and groundbreaking Virtual Choir projects that unite singers from around the world in digital collaborations.

His ability to bridge traditional choral culture with new media and digital community has made him one of the most listened-to living composers in his genre.

Early Life and Education

• Born: January 2, 1970, in Reno, Nevada

• Parents: Ross and Roxanne Whitacre

• As a child, he dabbled in piano and joined his junior high school marching band.

• In his youth, he also played synthesizer in a techno-pop band and had aspirations of being a rock/pop musician.

• His musical turning point: though initially reluctant to join a choir, he attended his first choral rehearsal in college. He later said:

  “In my entire life I had seen in black and white, and suddenly everything was in shocking Technicolor … hearing dissonance and harmony, and people singing.”

Formal Training

• Undergraduate studies: University of Nevada, Las Vegas — he studied composition (and began musical training in earnest) while an undergraduate.

• Graduate study: The Juilliard School, where he studied composition under John Corigliano and David Diamond.

Career & Achievements

Choral & Ensemble Works

Whitacre’s compositional output includes choral works, orchestral, wind ensemble, and experiments in multimedia.

Some notable works and milestones:

• Ghost Train — one of his earlier wind ensemble pieces, recorded many times.

• Cloudburst — choral work that has become a modern favorite.

• Water Night — featured in his recordings and in Virtual Choirs.

• The Sacred Veil — a large-scale 12-movement choral work, in collaboration with poet Charles Anthony Silvestri, exploring love, loss, solace.

• Deep Field — a multimedia / audiovisual project combining choral music with film inspired by NASA’s Hubble Deep Field imagery.

Whitacre’s compositions often employ aleatoric, indeterminate elements (moments where performers have some freedom), and unconventional notation or performance instructions.

Virtual Choir & Digital Innovation

One of Whitacre’s most transformative contributions is his Virtual Choir concept: singers from around the world submit video/audio recordings, and these are synchronized into a composite performance.

• In 2011 at TED, he presented a Virtual Choir project that gathered voices from dozens of countries.

• Over multiple iterations, the Virtual Choir grew—Virtual Choir 2.0, 3.0, etc.—with thousands of contributors from dozens of countries.

• In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched Virtual Choir 6: “Sing Gently”, with over 17,500 singers from 129 countries, including sign-language performers.

These projects allowed people disconnected geographically to share in a collective musical experience.

Recognition & Awards

• His album Light & Gold won a Grammy Award (Best Choral Performance) in 2012.

• Earlier, his Cloudburst and Other Choral Works was nominated for a Grammy.

• He has received composition awards from organizations such as the American Choral Directors Association and American Composers Forum.

• He has held residencies and appointments (e.g. Artist in Residence with Los Angeles Master Chorale) and has been invited globally to conduct and teach.

Style, Philosophy & Influence

Musical Aesthetic

Whitacre’s style is often described as neo-impressionistic or “weightless,” with shimmering harmonies, shifting textures, and an emphasis on color, atmosphere, and emotional resonance.

His music often seeks to serve the text (in vocal works) — he has said that the text acts as the blueprint, and his role is to find the soul of the poem and set it to music.

Though his music may sound complex, he has often said he doesn’t “think in terms of theory” — he lets intuition, texture, and sound guide him.

Digital & Community Mindset

Whitacre is optimistic about how the internet can build “post-national tribes” — people connecting across borders via shared artistic passion (like through his Virtual Choir).

He views virtual choir projects not as replacements for live performance, but as new forms of expression that carry the same kind of intent, focus, and communal spirit.

Legacy & Influence

• Whitacre helped bring choral music to wider audiences, especially younger listeners, through digital media.

• His Virtual Choir model has been emulated and inspires educational and community choirs worldwide.

• He has expanded the possibilities for how composers interact with audiences and performers in the digital age.

• Many contemporary composers cite his harmonic language, text sensitivity, and willingness to experiment with form and media as influential.

Selected Quotes

Here are some memorable quotes reflecting Whitacre’s values, perspective, and approach:

“I write music that sounds complex but isn’t. I frankly never think in terms of theory.”

“I can’t write music unless I’m deeply connected to it, and that connection almost always comes from some experience that I have had or am having.”

“The virtual choir would never replace live music or a real choir, but … the same sort of focus and intent and esprit de corps is evident in both.”

“Many composers use software … But I’m still very old-fashioned; I still use pencil and paper.”

“When I went to college … the Mozart ‘Requiem’ … changed my life overnight.”

“Singing is … a universal, built-in mechanism designed to cultivate empathy and compassion.”

Lessons from Eric Whitacre’s Journey

1. Follow what moves you — the shift from wanting pop stardom to embracing choral music shows openness to discovery.

2. Merge tradition with innovation — he respects classical choral tradition while pushing forward digital, communal forms.

3. Let community guide creativity — his Virtual Choirs show how art can flourish through connection, not isolation.

4. Stay true to your voice — he trusts intuition and sound over rigid theoretical constructs.

5. Expand your platform — by combining composition, conducting, speaking, and digital media, he creates multiple pathways for impact.