Eric Whitacre: the composer’s most famous songs, awards, wife and more facts revealed
Choral conductor, composer, YouTube sensation, and model (!) Eric Whitacre is high demand. His beautiful music is among the most popular and most performed by a living composer.
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1. When is Eric Whitacre’s birthday?
Eric Whitacre was born on 2 January 1970, in Reno, Nevada. He stayed close to home to study musical education as an undergraduate at the University of Nevada.
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2. The Eric Whitacre Singers
Eric Whitacre has his own choir, the Eric Whitacre Singers, who feature on his albums. They performed at the launch of his album, 'Light & Gold'.
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3. Eric Whitacre – conductor and model
Composer, conductor, lecturer, and... model? Eric is on the books at the Storm modelling agency - adding modelling to the list of his talents!
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4. Eric Whitacre and Soaring Leap
Eric Whitacre's latest initiative is his 'Soaring Leap' workshops, where singers, instrumentalists, conductors and composers can explore his works. They discuss the text and compositional techniques.
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5. Who is Eric Whitacre’s wife?
Eric Whitacre has been married to the Belgian operatic soprano Laurence Servaes since March 2019, when the pair tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in Maui, Hawaii.
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6. Has Eric Whitacre won a Grammy?
Eric Whitacre won a Grammy Award for his 'Light and Gold' album in the Best Choral Performance category in 2012. 'Cloudburst' received a Grammy nomination in 2007 in the same category.
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7. Soaring Leap
Eric addresses the guests at the 'Soaring Leap' conference. Guest speakers, fellow composers, and visiting musicians often make an appearance to talk to the guests.
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8. Eric Whitacre, lecturer
When he's not speaking at 'Soaring Leap', Eric is also a lecturer and composer in residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University.
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9. 'Whitacre chords'
Eric Whitacre's music is known for its 'Whitacre chords', where he clusters clashing notes on top of one another to create his signature spine-tingling harmonies.
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10. Eric Whitacre's rock star dreams
Aside from being conductor and composer, Eric dreamed of being a rock star when he was younger. He used to play the synthesizer in a techno-pop band!
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11. Lux Aurumque
Eric is also known for his 'Virtual Choir' projects. He invites singers to submit a video of themselves singing their own part, and combines them to create an international choir of performers.
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12. Virtual Choir
In order to keep the performers in his 'Virtual Choir' projects together, Eric releases a video of himself so the singers can follow the beat of the music. Eric's 'Virtual Choir' videos have received more than 5million views on YouTube. 'Sleep', 'Lux Aurumque', and 'Water Night' have been recorded so far.
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13. Instrumental compositions
He might be famous for his choral music, but Eric Whitacre also writes a lot of instrumental music. He also transcribes some of his vocal pieces for strings, making the most of the rich harmonies and textures.
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14. Eric Whitacre at the piano
Although primarily known as a choral composer, Eric Whitacre has written a number of works for solo voice. His first wife, Hila Plitmann, sings soprano on 'Goodnight Moon'. Photo by Robert Garbolinski
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15. Eric Whitacre, conducting his own pieces
Eric Whitacre conducting his own music. He's written for a number of famous musicians including the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Julian Lloyd Webber, and Philharmonia Orchestra. Photo by Robert Garbolinski
