At TEDx Orlando 2011 we were shown the following video/TED talk by Eric Whitacre. I’ve been working in online education for over three years and earned my master’s degree and worked on a doctorate online, I know how powerful the connections can be. Far from being a weak substitute for “being there,” there is a powerful “being there” that we apparently take for grant when together that is all the more precious when our only connection is via youtube video and scrolling text. As Whitacre hints at in his TED talk, we make it work. The beauty of these thousands of voices, joined in spirit though spread across the world speaks to the power we have to connect and sing with thunderous passions and careful dignity. Enjoy.


Eric Whitacre Full Address:

Sources:

  • Introduction to the Virtual Choir posted by Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir (2010-09-22), https://youtu.be/zyLX2cke-Lw?si=RuTer1MDc_66SnYA
  • A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong | Eric Whitacre posted by TED (2011-04-04), https://youtu.be/2NENlXsW4pM?si=4jjaHpVnl2Bj19fe
  • Eric Whitacre – Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir 2.0, ‘Sleep’ by Eric Whitacre (2011-04-06), https://youtu.be/6WhWDCw3Mng?si=1NTGnquR9GipM8hI
  • Eric Whitacre – Full Address posted by OxfordUnion (2015-06-20), https://youtu.be/Pyou2XXhyUU?si=epZqCheOIwV5u8QU