by It’s official! I am a member of the Virtual Choir 4. I submitted my video last night. Quick backstory for the uninitiated: the Virtual Choir 4 was created by composer Eric Whitacre. Singers from all around the world submit videos of themselves singing their part of a piece of Whitacre’s choral music, and those are later edited together into the final piece/video.
It took seven versions before I made a video that was acceptable. Two were never saved due to issues on the VC4 server end, I went flat at one point in three of them (only a tiny bit) my cat meowed in another (thought I put him in the bedroom) and the vase that was holding up my “background” (a blanket) crashed and smashed to pieces in another. I’m not telling which one I went with. Okay, it’s the one with the surprise guest star.
As you can see from the picture of my recording set-up below, I have my priorities straight. It’s not how I sound but how I look. Actually, because I was so self-conscious about how I looked my singing is kinda tense. I sound better when I’m more relaxed.
If you want participate now is the time. The deadline is June 10th. The great thing about VC4 is we don’t have to wait long for the result. The Virtual Choir 4 is going to part of the Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace in July, so JULY. Next month! The Queen! If you have special equipment like external mics and cameras, fantastic, but you can just use your laptop as I did. Do it!! I’m telling you, it feels great. You’re going to be ecstatic when you’re done.
Just wanted to thank you for your posts about Virtual Choir in the past and recently. Because of you, I gave to the Kickstarter for VC4 and I even participated! I was terrified and wish I could have edited together a few different takes, but I did it and submitted it. Thanks for that. Also, an old friend published this on his Facebook feed this morning:
http://www.npr.org/2013/06/03/188355968/imperfect-harmony-how-chorale-singing-changes-lives
Way cool! Thanks for reminding me how much singing matters.
OH WOW!!!! I am so thrilled that something I wrote caused another human being to participate in the Virtual Choir. Yeah, I never got a great take either. Each one had mistakes of one kind or another, but it felt great to submit it, right?
And just wait until it premieres! Then you’re going to feel REALLY great about being in it. Have you gone to the Facebook page for the Virtual Choir singers? You might need to send a request to join when you go there, but of course they will let you in:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/147426405374602/