Virtual Choir Recruits Singers From Across the Globe
Seventy-three countries represented
April 1, 2012— -- It may not be the world's most traditional choir, but it is certainly one of the most diverse. 2,950 singers from more than 73 different countries have come together over the Internet to create an incredible collaboration, all without leaving home.
The virtual choir, which has singers hailing from South Africa to Australia to Kazakhstan and everywhere in between, is the brainchild of Eric Whitacre. Whitacre, the composer and conductor of the choir, who admits he isn't much of a singer, spoke to ABC News about his inspiration for the project.
"From the earliest history of man, people have been doing this in one form or another, coming together and making music," he said. "And to me there's something totally magical about only using your body as the instrument."
"You have this general feeling of being connected to people everywhere." said Suynne, one of the choir members -- a librarian who lives in the remote mountains of Norway, "It's a lovely thought."
60 year old Jan, who lives 4,000 miles away on Vancouver Island, hadn't sung for years but said he is now thrilled to be part of the choir. "I wanted to do it as a challenge," he told us, "hold my head up and say, 'I did it!'"
The virtual choir has proved a tremendous success since it first started in 2009, with only 185 singers from 12 countries. But even as it's grown in size and popularity, it has never compromised its integrity.
"The communal spirit, coming together to make something beautiful, still exists," Whitacre told ABC News. "We haven't ever turned away a single singer. They've all made the cut."
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