The world-famous composer and conductor Eric Whitacre answered students’ questions about performance, conducting, composing and directing during a live Q&A via Google Hangout on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. in the Pottle Music Annex Recital Hall.
“Being able to speak with Eric Whitacre for a music person is like getting to speak with Katy Perry for a teenager,” said Erica Collins, a junior majoring in music education.
Whitacre was a member of an 80’s pop band in high school, but was not in the choir or band. It was not until college that Whitacre joined choir. Three years later, he wrote his first piece. His two albums “Light & Gold” and “Water Night” have reached No. 1 on numerous classical charts.
“I try to create a moment where everyone in an audience feels a chill at the same time,” said Whitacre during the hangout. “It creates a communal experience.”
Among Whitacre’s works is a collaboration with Hans Zimmer on the Mermaid Theme in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” Whitacre said that he has upcoming plans to work with Zimmer again on the “Man of Steel” soundtrack.
In addition to Southeastern, high schools in Buffalo, New York and Nebraska were able to join in on the group chat and ask Whitacre their own questions.
“With the insight he gave today, I was most impressed with his connection with other arts,” said Collins. “He mentioned painting, literature, sculpture and architecture as influences and even backbones for music.”
FORTISSIMO sponsored the event, which was open to the general public. FORTISSIMO, a music student organization that began in 2010, stands for Future Opera Representatives Taking Initiative Side-by-Side Improving Musical Opportunities.
“The focus of the organization is to bring in professional artists, musicians and teachers to do master classes either here at the university or via Google Hangout, Skype or some other media,” said Jarred Frey, a vocal performance sophomore and the president of FORTISSIMO. “One of our previous members had the contact information for Eric Whitacre’s manager, so I just took that, I emailed her with an updated version of who we are and what we wanted to do with him. She responded. We talked from April until this past Monday when we got it.”
The Google Hangout lasted an hour. Although it began at 3 p.m. for the students in Pottle, it began at 9 p.m. for Whitacre, who resides in London with his family.
Whitacre ended the hangout by saying, “Buffalo, Louisiana, Nebraska, I had a blast, truly.”
After the hangout ended, the music students buzzed about the information they had just learned.
For more information on FORTISSIMO, check out their Facebook page.