On February 3 and 4, 2020, Georgia State University School of Music will bring internationally-recognized composer and conductor, Eric Whitacre, to our Atlanta campus for a two-day residency. This GRAMMY Award-winning composer will share his expertise with GSU students and the community including workshops with the GSU choirs and bands, question and answer sessions to composers and conductors, and guest conducting a high school choral festival. The residency will culminate with an evening concert on February 4 in the Rialto Center for the Arts featuring GSU choirs and wind ensembles, and several high school choirs, all music of Whitacre, conducted by the composer himself. This concert will be open to the public and will be a ticketed event.

Georgia State Symphonic Wind Ensemble & Wind Orchestra Rehearsal
conducted by Eric Whitacre
Rialto Stage
concludes at 12:30pm
Georgia State University Singers & Women's Chorus Rehearsal
conducted by Eric Whitacre
Rialto Stage
concludes at 4:30pm
Question & Answer Session
with Eric Whitacre
Rialto Stage
concludes at 6:30pm
Final Dress Rehearsal
with Georgia State Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Wind Orchestra, University Singers & Women’s Chorus
conducted by Eric Whitacre
Rialto Stage
concludes at 12:30pm
Choral Festival Check-In Begins
Rialto Lobby
Must be pre-registered to attend
Choral Festival
conducted by Eric Whitacre
Rialto Stage
concludes at 4:30pm
An Evening with Eric Whitacre Concert
Concert featuring Georgia State Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Wind Orchestra, Women’s Chorus, & University Singers
with a performance by the Festival Chorus
conducted by Eric Whitacre
Rialto Stage

Eric Whitacre is one of today’s most popular and frequently-performed composers. His remarkable global appeal has been enhanced by his achievements as conductor, innovator, broadcaster and charismatic public speaker, and by the success of his recordings. A graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School of Music, Eric is Artist in Residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and was formerly Composer in Residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University, UK. In addition to his extensive output for choir, Eric’s instrumental works have been performed by some of the world’s most distinguished orchestras, ensembles, and concert bands. In 2019, he signed a publishing deal with Boosey & Hawkes, while his sheet music has been distributed worldwide by Hal Leonard since 2000.
Eric’s first album as composer and conductor, released by Universal Decca as Light & Gold, won the Grammy® Award for Best Choral Recording. It reaped a harvest of five-star reviews and topped the US and UK classical album charts within a week of its release. His second album for Decca, Water Night, secured the No.1 position in the iTunes and Billboard classical charts on the day of its release. Water Night includes seven world premiere recordings performed by the Eric Whitacre Singers – the composer’s UK-based professional choir – and the London Symphony Orchestra, Julian Lloyd Webber and Hila Plitmann. In 2013, Eric and his managers at Music Productions created a new label, UNQUIET, to develop new projects and expand his catalog. Its titles have reached No.1 in the classical charts, scoring critical and commercial success with Deep Field and releases such as a vinyl EP cover of Trent Reznor’s ‘Hurt’ and Eric’s setting of e e cummings’ ‘i carry your heart’. Many artists from around the world have recorded Eric’s original compositions, broadening his global audience and opening fresh perspectives on his music.
The range of Eric Whitacre’s international reach increased in 2010 with the launch of his ground-breaking Virtual Choir. The online project, inspired by a young singer’s video upload, was created by 185 singers from a dozen different countries. The project grew in numbers with Virtual Choir 5 receiving over 8,000 submissions from 120 countries. Other Virtual Choir projects include ‘Glow’ written for the Winter Dreams holiday show at Disneyland© Adventure Park, California, and the Virtual Youth Choir, in association with UNICEF, which premiered at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. To date, the Virtual Choirs have registered over 60 million views.
Born in Nevada, Eric joined a marching band at school and also played in a techno-pop group. His musical passions widened during his student years at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, inspired initially by the life-changing experience of singing Mozart’s Requiem. Eric completed his first choral composition, ‘Go, Lovely Rose’, in 1990 as a gift for David Weiller, his college choral director. The piece and two companions were published as ‘Three Flower Songs’. Eric subsequently studied composition with John Corigliano and David Diamond at the Juilliard School in New York, graduating as Master of Music in 1997. His early output for choir and symphonic wind ensemble was well received by critics in the United States and eagerly taken up by performers; meanwhile, news of his music’s luminous beauty and harmonic richness travelled overseas.
Many of Eric’s works have entered the core choral and symphonic repertories and have become the subject of scholarly works and doctoral dissertations. He has received composition awards from the Barlow International Composition Competition, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and the American Composers Forum. In 2001 Eric became the youngest recipient of the ACDA’s coveted Raymond C. Brock commission, an outstanding achievement for a composer who discovered classical music relatively late in life. His list of works includes prestigious commissions for, among others, the BBC Proms, the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Minnesota Orchestra, Chanticleer, Julian Lloyd Webber and the Philharmonia Orchestra, Dallas Winds, The Tallis Scholars, the Berlin Rundfunkchor and The King’s Singers. His musical, Paradise Lost, won both the ASCAP Harold Arlen Award and the Richard Rodgers Award, and earned ten nominations at the Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Awards. Eric’s versatility is likewise reflected in his collaboration with legendary film composer, Hans Zimmer, with whom he collaborated with on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
As a natural and persuasive orator, Eric Whitacre has been invited to address the UN Leaders Programme and to speak for UNICEF and Google amongst others. He has appeared twice on the main stage at the hugely influential TED conference in Long Beach CA, earning standing ovations on both occasions; his 2011 TEDWeekend talk, co-hosted by TED and The Huffington Post, was among the most popular in the event’s history. In recent years he has addressed audiences worldwide, at leading universities, The Economist, Seoul Digital Forum and other high-profile global institutions. In October 2012 Eric presented his Virtual Choir at the F.ounders conference, an annual private gathering for 150 of the world’s leading technology company founders, and participated in a discussion with YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim. Eric was invited to the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2013, where he led a debate on the role of arts in society and the impact of technology on the arts, and gave a presentation to the closing session. His work as creative and cultural leader and educator has also been recognised with an Honorary Patronage from Trinity College Philosophical Society (Dublin), Alumnus of the Year (2012) University of Las Vegas, and the SupportMusic Champion Award at the NAMM Grand Rally for Education 2019.
The range of Eric’s work crosses conventional borders between different musical genres. His open-minded, compassionate approach acknowledges music’s extraordinary capacity to unite people from all backgrounds. Broadcast live to 119 countries worldwide, Eric made his iTunes Festival debut with his professional choir in 2014, inviting multi award-winning composer and conductor Hans Zimmer to the stage for a new choral arrangement of ‘Time’. Over recent years, Eric has collaborated with British soul artist Laura Mvula, Annie Lennox, House of Cards composer Jeff Beal, accordionist Ksenija Sidorova and Norwegian singer-songwriter Marius Beck.
Eric served on the jury of the Abbey Road 80th Anniversary Anthem Competition and conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and Eric Whitacre Singers in recordings of the winning entries at Abbey Road Studio 1. He and his choir shared the stage with renowned singer-songwriter Annie Lennox and the London African Gospel Choir at London’s Guildhall, performing at the ceremonial presentation of the Templeton Prize to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and were invited to return to perform the following year. Eric gave a live webcast from the Kennedy Center in June 2014 and subsequently conducted a massed choir of 400 singers on the Mall, Washington D.C. to mark Flag Day and the bicentenary of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’.
Eric’s recent projects include Deep Field: The Impossible Magnitude of our Universe, a compelling fusion of music, images of the far-flung galaxies of the Hubble Space Telescope’s Deep Field, and visualisations specially created by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland. The film premiered at Kennedy Space Center in November 2018 and has since been released on YouTube. Its voyage into the sublime beauty and mystery of the universe is crowned by music from Virtual Choir’s fifth iteration, comprising 8,000 voices from 120 countries. Deep Field grew from a unique collaboration between the composer, NASA, producers Music Productions, multiple award-winning artists 59 Productions and STScI. By the end of 2019, the film will have been seen at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum (DC), Dolby Theatre (London), the World Science Festival (New York), Griffith Observatory (Los Angeles), the American Astronomical Society Annual Meeting (Seattle) and in concert halls on both sides of the Atlantic. The film sits at the core of STEAM education programmes in North America, Europe and elsewhere.
The Sacred Veil, a profound choral meditation on love, loss, grief and solace, stands among Eric Whitacre’s most substantial works. The 50-minute composition for choir, cello and piano, was created in partnership with the composer’s long-term collaborator, the poet, author and composer Charles Anthony Silvestri, whose text embraces words written by his wife during her fight against terminal cancer. The Sacred Veil was co-commissioned by the Los Angeles Master Chorale and first performed by them under Eric’s direction in February 2019 at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.
Eric lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Belgian soprano Laurence Servaes.

Immerse yourself in two days of Eric Whitacre’s music with the Residency Access Pass. Geared towards professionals, college students, educators, and lovers of Eric Whitacre’s music, the Residency Access Pass provides the opportunity to sit-in and observe each rehearsal conducted by Eric Whitacre, attend the Q&A session, watch the Final Dress Rehearsal, and observe the Choral Festival. The Residency Access Pass Provides a truly unique experience as Eric Whitacre works with the Georgia State University large ensembles.
The cost to purchase a Residency Access pass is $40.00.
Residency Access Pass includes admission to:
The Residency Access Pass grants access to observe the Georgia State Ensemble Rehearsals, The Q&A session, and observation of the Choral Festival. The Residency Access Pass does not seat a pass-holder with the Festival Ensemble, and does not provide a ticket to the evening concert.
The Residency Access Pass does not include a ticket to the evening concert.
Concert Tickets may be purchased separately through the Rialto Box Office.
Registration for the Residency Access Pass is closed. The deadline to register was January 15, 2020.
Join the award-winning Georgia State University choral ensembles for an afternoon of Eric Whitacre’s music conducted by the composer himself! Geared toward high school students, college students, church and community choir singers, the Eric Whitacre Choral Festival takes place on Tuesday, February 4 in Georgia State’s Rialto Center for the Arts, and affords Festival attendees the opportunity to sing with Eric Whitacre as he provides personal insights into his beloved music.
Choral Festival participants must provide their own music.
Participants must provide their own ORIGINAL copies for each person, or have obtained permission from the publisher to have copies. Black folders for music are encouraged, but not required.
Advanced registration is required.
All directors and chaperones must be registered attendees of the Choral Festival to ensure seats are available during the Festival and the Concert. Any unregistered director or chaperone will not be permitted into the Rialto Theater during the Festival or Concert.
There is no limit to the number of students per school that can register to attend the Choral Festival.
Schools must register as a group and complete the group roster, listing all directors and chaperones who will attend the Festival and Evening Concert.
Choral Festival participation includes an admission ticket to attend An Evening with Eric Whitacre
The concert will feature the Georgia State University choirs and wind ensembles performing works by Eric Whitacre conducted by the composer himself.
The Choral Festival is open to any musician or interested community member.
Individual adults may register. All participants under age 18 must register as a group with an adult chaperone.
Payment is due at the time of registration.
Schools may choose to pay via credit card or invoice during the registration process. Payment must be received by the registration deadline. If payment is not received by the registration deadline, the group registration will be cancelled. School checks should be made payable to Georgia State University. All fees paid are non-refundable.
Participation in the evening concert is required.
Participants in the Choral Festival will perform from their seats during the evening concert, creating an immersive audience experience. It is required for all Choral Festival participants to stay for the evening concert.
Dress Code for the concert will be comfortable, business casual.
Each school may determine their own dress code. Participants are encouraged to dress appropriately for performing from their seats during the concert. Participants are encouraged to wear nice, comfortable clothes for the day and plan to wear the same attire for the evening. Concert black will NOT be required for Choral Festival Participants. Changing/Dressing rooms will not be provided.
Festival bus parking will be provided during the day.
Bus parking will be provided to Choral Festival participants during the day. Overnight bus parking will not be provided.
Lodging and Meals will not be provided.
Hotel room blocks will not be provided. Any school wishing to stay overnight must make their own arrangements. Choral Festival Participants will be dismissed for a dinner break at 4:30, following the rehearsals. Participants should make their own arrangements for dinner. Meals will not be provided.
Download and complete the Group Roster Template before registering.
An Evening with Eric Whitacre
February 4, 2020
7:30pm
Rialto Center for the Arts
Grammy-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre is one of the most popular musicians of his generation. His concert music has been performed throughout the world by millions of amateur and professional musicians alike, while his ground-breaking Virtual Choirs have united singers from over 120 different countries. Join Georgia State University’s Choral and Wind Ensembles for an evening of Eric Whitacre’s music conducted by the composer himself.

Does the Residency Access Pass get me into the evening concert?
No. Residency Access Pass holders are able to observe the rehearsals, the Q & A, and the Choral Festival, but are NOT provided with a ticket to the evening concert. Concert tickets must be purchased separately through the Rialto Box Office.
Are meals provided for Choral Festival participants?
No. The Choral Festival will dismiss at 4:30pm. Each participant or school group will be responsible for making their own arrangements for dinner.
Should I purchase my own music for the Choral Festival?
Yes. Each school group or Choral Festival participant will be responsible for purchasing the music in advance and preparing appropriately for the rehearsal. Participants must provide their own original copies, or must have received permission to make copies. Georgia State adheres to all copyright laws.
Can Georgia State Students attend any part of the Residency?
Current Georgia State students may show their Panther ID card for access to the rehearsals and Q&A Session at no charge. Georgia State students must purchase a ticket through the Rialto in order to attend the evening concert, or must register for the Choral Festival separately at the registration price.
When can Georgia State Students register for the Choral Festival?
Current Georgia State students who are not performing in the evening concert may register to attend the Choral Festival at any time. Members of the performing ensembles may register for the Choral Festival beginning December 1. There is no discount for Festival registration. Georgia State students must provide his/her own original copies of the festival repertoire.