2015개정 영어 천재(이) 6과 본문

영어 천재이 6과 본문.hwp

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6과 The Virtual Choir: Sing Alone, Sing Along

 

A red curtain slowly opens. Rows of little screens, showing people of all ages and colors, fill the stage against a dark background. In the center appears a man. He soon begins conducting and disappears. Then the singing images move slowly to the music. Some of them are zoomed in to show different faces. There is neither an orchestra nor an audience. The singers have never met each other or practiced together. Yet a song called "Lux Aurumque" is performed by a beautiful mix of voices. This is a "virtual choir."

 

The virtual choir was Eric Whitacre's idea. One day in 2009, the modern music composer was told by a friend about a young fan. She had videoed herself singing the soprano part of his composition "Sleep" and posted it for him online. In the video, her voice sounded sweet and pure. Inspired by the video, Whitacre decided to make a virtual choir. He thought, "If I can get 50 people to sing their parts and post their videos, I can put them together and create something beautiful. Those who love to sing don't have to be in the same place to perform a choral work together." Whitacre soon sent out a call to his online fans to record themselves singing and upload their videos.

To make his idea a reality, Whitacre went through several steps. First, he asked the fans to download his work "Lux Aurumque." Then he posted a video where he conducted along with piano music. The singers watched the video and learned their parts on their own. Soon 185 singers from 12 countries uploaded their videos. Thanks to the help of Scott Haines, a participant who offered to edit the work, the videos were put together into a single performance.

 

After months of hard work, this first virtual choir performance was released in March 2010. Whitacre felt strong emotions about the video. "I was actually moved to tears when I first saw it. These souls, all on their own desert island, sent electronic messages in bottles to each other," he said. Little did he know that people would go to any length to connect with each other, no matter where they were. The virtual choir was a marriage of art, connectivity, and technology.

A little later, singers posted stories about their experiences. One singer said, "My sister and I used to sing in choirs together when we were younger. We now live in different parts of the world. Without the virtual choir, we wouldn't have been able to sing together again and renew our bond." Another said, "When I told my husband that I was going to do this, he told me that I didn't have the voice for it. But I wanted to participate despite what he said. I live in the Great Alaskan Bush, far away from everyone. The virtual choir is what connects me with the world. Being part of this choir is as good as meeting old friends." Many others appreciated the experience, saying it was great to know they were part of a worldwide community of people. Some even met each other in person and became friends.

 

The virtual choir idea has continued to grow since that first performance. Thousands of people have participated in several big projects. One of them was the 2013 performance of "Fly to Paradise." It was shown at Buckingham Palace to mark Elizabeth II's 60th year as Queen of the U.K. It contained about 8,400 videos from 101 different countries. Also among the projects was the performance by a virtual youth choir. It featured 2,292 young singers from 80 countries, including four from Korea. These singers again showed how technology could be used to bring people together.

Perhaps you can take part in the next virtual choir. It could be a great way to connect with our global village.

 

 

Further Reading

Playing for Change

One morning, Mark Johnson, a producer and movie director, was on his way to his studio and stopped to listen to a street musician. He realized that the greatest music is not in the studio but on the street. That morning, he decided to bring the recording studio to the street. He joined forces with dancer and actress Whitney Kroenke and started a project called "Playing for Change." They have traveled the world with a mobile studio and recorded street musicians in the places where they worked.

Johnson and Kroenke hope that "Playing for Change" can make the world a better place to live in through music. They help set up music schools that offer free lessons. They do this because they know that learning to make music takes resources, teachers, and instruments, which are not always easy to find in the developing world. Even more importantly, they help break down barriers between people by inspiring and connecting the world through music.