Eric Whitacre


Eric Whitacre
Nationality: American
Born: b. 1970
Education/Training: earned Master of Music Degree from Juilliard School, studying with John Corigliano
Best Known For:
his virtual choir series, currently four YouTube videos consisting of thousands of singers from over 100 countries singing his pieces Sleep, Lux Aurumque, Water Night and Fly to Paradise, which have over four million views

Notable Compositions:
Water Night; Cloudburst; Lux Aurumque; Sleep; original musical, Paradise Lost; commissions include works for Chanticleer, Tallis Scholars, BBC Proms, the London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, Julian Lloyd Webber and the Philharmonia Orchestra, The King's Singers, Conspirare

Assignments:
currently Composer in Residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University, UK.

Curious Facts:
Considered by many to be: one of the most popular (choral and wind symphony) composers of our generation who has created some of the most frequently performed pieces in the choral repertoire, such as Water Night, Cloudburst, Lux Aurumque, and Sleep

Notable Recordings:
first recording, The Music of Eric Whitacre, was called one of the top 10 classical albums of 1997 by the American Guide; first album as both composer and conductor on Decca/Universal,  Light & Gold, won a Grammy® in 2012

Press:
Whitacre is that rare thing, a modern composer who is both popular and original. - The Daily Telegraph, London

Bio:
Eric Whitacre is one of the most popular and performed composers of our time, a distinguished conductor, broadcaster and public speaker. His first album as both composer and conductor on Decca/Universal,  Light & Gold, won a Grammy® in 2012, reaped unanimous five star reviews and became the no. 1 classical album in the US and UK charts within a week of release. His second album, Water Night, was released on Decca in April 2012 and debuted at no. 1 in the iTunes and Billboard classical chart on the day of release. It features seven world premiere recordings and includes performances from his professional choir, the Eric Whitacre Singers, the London Symphony Orchestra, Julian Lloyd Webber and Hila Plitmann. His compositions also feature on multiple other recordings made in Europe, North America and Australasia.
 
His ground-breaking Virtual Choir, Lux Aurumque, received over a million views on YouTube in just 2 months (now 3 million), featuring 185 singers from 12 different countries. Virtual Choir 2.0, Sleep, was released in April 2011 and involved over 2,000 voices from 58 countries. Virtual Choir 3, Water Night, received 3,746 submissions from 73 counties and launched at Lincoln Center, New York and revealed online in April 2012.
 
Eric has written for the BBC Proms, London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Chanticleer, Julian Lloyd Webber and the Philharmonia Orchestra, Berlin Rundfunkchor and The King's Singers among others.   His musical, Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings, won both the ASCAP Harold Arlen award and the Richard Rodgers Award, and earned 10 nominations at the Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Awards.  A versatile musician, he has also worked with legendary film composer, Hans Zimmer, co-writing the Mermaid Theme for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. In 2011, Eric was one of the judges and conducted the winning entries of the Abbey Road 80th Anniversary Anthem Competition, recording the London Symphony Orchestra and his professional choir, the Eric Whitacre Singers, in Abbey Road Studio 1.
 
His latest initiative, Soaring Leap, is a series of workshops and festivals. Guest speakers, composers and artists, make regular appearances at Soaring Leap events around the world.
 
An exceptional orator, Eric was honoured to address the U.N. Leaders programme and the revered TED conference in Long Beach CA where he earned the first full standing ovation of the conference.  He has addressed audiences worldwide, including leading Universities, The Economist and Seoul Digital Forum. In October 2012, Eric presented his Virtual Choir at the  F.ounders conference, an annual private gathering for 150 of the world's leading technology company founders, alongside a discussion with Jawed Karim, co-founder of YouTube. Eric has been invited to address the World Economic Conference, Davos, in January 2013, to lead a discussion on the role of arts in society and the impact of technology on the arts.
 
Many of Eric Whitacre's works have entered the standard choral and symphonic repertories and have become the subject of scholarly works and doctoral dissertations.  He has received composition awards from the Barlow International Composition Competition, the ACDA and the American Composers Forum.   In 2001, Eric became the youngest recipient ever awarded the coveted Raymond C. Brock commission by the ACDA, despite coming to classical music relatively late in life when he joined his college choir in Las Vegas.  The first piece he ever performed - Mozart's Requiem - changed his life.  Inspired to compose, his first piece Go, Lovely Rose, was completed at the age of 21. He went on to the Juilliard School (New York), earning his Master of Music degree studying with Pulitzer Prize and Oscar-winning composer, John Corigliano. Eric has received an Honorary Patronage from Trinity College Philosophical Society, Dublin and was awarded Alumnus of the Year 2012 by the University of Las Vegas.
 
Eric Whitacre is currently Composer in Residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University, UK.

REPERTOIRE: Her Sacred Spirit Soars

Concert Details Date
Lux Aeterna Oct 16, 2011

REPERTOIRE: Three Songs of Faith

Concert Details Date
American Songs & Spirituals Jun 2, 2013

REPERTOIRE: hope, faith, life, love

REPERTOIRE: Little Birds

Concert Details Date
HSCF: Chamber Singers Apr 26, 2013

REPERTOIRE: Little Man in a Hurry

Concert Details Date
HSCF: Chamber Singers Apr 26, 2013

REPERTOIRE: I Fall (West Coast Premiere)

Concert Details Date
Lux Aeterna (Choir Night) Jun 22, 2017
Lux Aeterna (Choir Night) Jun 22, 2017

REPERTOIRE: The Sacred Veil

Concert Details Date
Apr 4, 2025

REPERTOIRE: I Thank God for Most This Amazing Day

Concert Details Date
Apr 4, 2025

REPERTOIRE: The Gift of the Magi

REPERTOIRE: I Thank God for Most This Amazing Day

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: The Sacred Veil

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: Lux Aurumque

REPERTOIRE: The Gift of the Magi

REPERTOIRE: Scene 1. A Large Department Store

REPERTOIRE: Scene 2. Watch Storefont

REPERTOIRE: Scene 3. Salon

REPERTOIRE: Scene 4. Home

REPERTOIRE: Scene 1. A Large Department Store

REPERTOIRE: Scene 2. Watch Storefont

REPERTOIRE: Scene 3. Salon

REPERTOIRE: Scene 4. Home

REPERTOIRE: I Thank You God for Most This Amazing Day

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: The Sacred Veil

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: I. The Veil Opens

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: II. I Am Here

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: III. Dark and Distant I

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: IV. Home

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: V. Magnetic Poetry

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: Vi. Wherever There is Birth

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: VII. I'm Afraid

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: VIII. Interlude: I Am Here: And Our Beloved Ones Draw Near

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: IX. Delicious Times

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: X. Dark and Distant II

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: XI. Dear Friends

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: XII. You Rise, I Fall

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: XIII. Child of Wonder

Concert Details Date
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 17, 2018
GALA 2018: Lagrime di San Pietro Mar 18, 2018

REPERTOIRE: I. The Veil Opens

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: II. I Am Here

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: III. Dark and Distant I

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: IV. Home

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: V. Magnetic Poetry

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: VI. Wherever There is Birth

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: VII. I'm Afraid

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: VIII. Interlude: I Am Here: And Our Beloved Ones Draw Near

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: IX. Delicious Times

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: X. Dark and Distant II

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: XI. Dear Friends

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: XII. You Rise, I Fall

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: XIII. Child of Wonder

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019

REPERTOIRE: Sleep

Concert Details Date
Apr 4, 2025

REPERTOIRE: Cloudburst

Concert Details Date
Apr 4, 2025

REPERTOIRE: Sleep

Concert Details Date
Apr 4, 2025

REPERTOIRE: Cloudburst

Concert Details Date
Apr 4, 2025

REPERTOIRE: Sleep

Concert Details Date
Big Sing California Jul 21, 2018
Big Sing California Jul 21, 2018

REPERTOIRE: Cloudburst

Concert Details Date
Big Sing California Jul 21, 2018
Big Sing California Jul 21, 2018

REPERTOIRE: I Fall

Concert Details Date
Apr 4, 2025

REPERTOIRE: I Fall

Concert Details Date
Apr 4, 2025

REPERTOIRE: I Fall

Concert Details Date
Lux Aeterna (Gala) Jun 18, 2017

REPERTOIRE: I Fall

Concert Details Date
Apr 4, 2025

REPERTOIRE: I Fall

Concert Details Date
Lux Aeterna Jun 17, 2017
Lux Aeterna Jun 17, 2017

REPERTOIRE: Lux Aurumque

Concert Details Date
Christmas with Eric Whitacre Dec 4, 2016
Christmas with Eric Whitacre Dec 4, 2016

REPERTOIRE: Alleluia

Concert Details Date
Christmas with Eric Whitacre Dec 4, 2016
Christmas with Eric Whitacre Dec 4, 2016

REPERTOIRE: The Chelsea Carol

Concert Details Date
Christmas with Eric Whitacre Dec 4, 2016
Christmas with Eric Whitacre Dec 4, 2016

REPERTOIRE: Sainte-Chappelle

Concert Details Date
Christmas with Eric Whitacre Dec 4, 2016
Christmas with Eric Whitacre Dec 4, 2016

REPERTOIRE: little tree

Concert Details Date
Christmas with Eric Whitacre Dec 4, 2016
Christmas with Eric Whitacre Dec 4, 2016

REPERTOIRE: Water Night

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 17, 2015

REPERTOIRE: Lux Aurumque

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 17, 2015

REPERTOIRE: Cloudburst

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 17, 2015

REPERTOIRE: Sainte-Chapelle

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 17, 2015

REPERTOIRE: Sleep

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 17, 2015

REPERTOIRE: The City and the Sea

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 17, 2015

REPERTOIRE: Water Night

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 16, 2015

REPERTOIRE: Lux Aurumque

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 16, 2015

REPERTOIRE: Cloudburst

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 16, 2015

REPERTOIRE: Sainte-Chapelle

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 16, 2015

REPERTOIRE: Sleep

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 16, 2015

REPERTOIRE: The City and the Sea

Concert Details Date
Music of Whitacre and Pärt May 16, 2015

REPERTOIRE: Lux Aurumque

Concert Details Date
Rejoice! A Cappella Christmas Dec 14, 2014

REPERTOIRE: Glow

Concert Details Date
Festival of Carols Dec 13, 2014

REPERTOIRE: i will wade out

Concert Details Date
25th Annual High School Choir Festival May 2, 2014

REPERTOIRE: Cloudburst

Concert Details Date
Composers from the Left Coast Nov 22, 2009

REPERTOIRE: When David Heard (Samuel II 18:33)

Concert Details Date
Almost A Cappella May 4, 2008

REPERTOIRE: Lux Aurumque

Concert Details Date
Rejoice! Dec 10, 2006

REPERTOIRE: Lux Aurumque

REPERTOIRE: Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine

Concert Details Date
30th Annual High School Choir Festival May 3, 2019

REPERTOIRE: “Child of Wonder” from The Sacred Veil

Concert Details Date
30th Annual High School Choir Festival May 3, 2019

REPERTOIRE: Cloudburst

REPERTOIRE: Fly to Paradise

REPERTOIRE: I Thank God for Most This Amazing Day

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: The Sacred Veil

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: I. The Veil Opens

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: II. I Am Here

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: III. Dark and Distant I

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: IV. Home

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: V. Magnetic Poetry

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: VI. Wherever There is Birth

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: VII. I'm Afraid

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: VIII. Interlude: I Am Here: And Our Beloved Ones Draw Near

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: IX. Delicious Times

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: X. Dark and Distant II

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: XI. Dear Friends

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: XII. You Rise, I Fall

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: XIII. Child of Wonder

Concert Details Date
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 16, 2019
Eric Whitacre's The Sacred Veil Feb 17, 2019

REPERTOIRE: Glow

Concert Details Date
Festival of Carols Dec 9, 2017

REPERTOIRE: The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus

Concert Details Date
Festival of Carols Dec 9, 2017

REPERTOIRE: Lux Aurumque

Concert Details Date
Festival of Carols Dec 9, 2017

REPERTOIRE: little tree

Concert Details Date
Festival of Carols Dec 9, 2017

REPERTOIRE: Glow

Concert Details Date
Festival of Carols Dec 2, 2017

REPERTOIRE: The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus

Concert Details Date
Festival of Carols Dec 2, 2017

REPERTOIRE: Lux Aurumque

Concert Details Date
Festival of Carols Dec 2, 2017

REPERTOIRE: little tree

Concert Details Date
Festival of Carols Dec 2, 2017

REPERTOIRE: Her Sacred Spirit Soars

Concert Details Date
Songs of Ascent Mar 8, 2015

REPERTOIRE: Cloudburst

Concert Details Date
14th Annual High School Choir Festival Apr 29, 2003