ERIC WHITACRE RESIDENCY
2024
About the Residency
Residency Schedule
Workshop: Graduate Conducting Students
Rialto Stage
concludes at 10:45am
Lecture
Rialto Stage
concludes at 11:45am
Rehearsal: Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Rialto Stage
concludes at 2:45pm
Rehearsal: University Orchestra
Rialto Stage
concludes at 4:30pm
Rehearsal: University Singers
Rialto Stage
concludes at 6:00pm
Final Dress Rehearsal
with University Singers
Rialto Stage
concludes at 10:45am
Final Dress Rehearsal
with University Orchestra
Rialto Stage
concludes at 12:00pm
Final Dress Rehearsal
with University Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Rialto Stage
concludes at 1:45pm
Mass Choir Check-In Begins
Rialto Lobby
Must be pre-registered to participate in the Mass Choir
Mass Choir Rehearsal
Rialto Stage
concludes at 5:30pm
Mass Choir Dinner Break
On your own
Evening Concert
Rialto Center for the Arts*
Symphonic Wind Ensemble
University Orchestra
University Singers
Mass Choir Performance
*Ticket Required
Residency Access Pass
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, lecture and workshop given by Eric Whitacre, and grants participation in the Mass Choir rehearsal and performance. The Residency Access Pass Provides a truly unique experience as Eric Whitacre works with the Georgia State University large ensembles.
Residency Access Pass includes admission to:
The Residency Access Pass grants access to observe the Georgia State Ensemble Rehearsals, workshop and lecture sessions, participation in the Mass Choir, and a ticket to the final evening concert.
The cost to purchase a Residency Access pass is $65.00.
Deadline to purchase a Residency Access Pass:
November 30, 2023
Mass Choir
Join GRAMMY award winning composer Eric Whitacre for an afternoon of his music conducted by the composer himself! Geared toward high school students, college students, church and community choir singers, regardless of primary instrument the Eric Whitacre Mass Choir takes place on Friday, January 19 in Georgia State's Rialto Center for the Arts, and affords Mass Choir participants the opportunity to sing with Eric Whitacre as he provides personal insights into his beloved music. Participation in the Mass Choir includes your ticket to the evening concert.
Mass Choir Pass: $40 per person
Mass Choir registration fee is $40 per person and includes a ticket to the evening concert.
The Mass Choir is open to any musician or interested community member.
Participation in the Mass Choir is not limited to singers. Any school ensemble or individual can participate, regardless of their primary instrument. We'd love to have band and orchestra students, too!
Individual adults may register. All participants under age 18 must register as a group with an adult chaperone.
There is no limit to the number of students per school.
Schools must register as a group and complete the group roster, listing all directors and chaperones who will attend the Mass Choir and Evening Concert.
Mass Choir 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.
Due to sell out crowds, all directors and chaperones must be registered attendees of the Mass Choir to ensure seats are available during the Concert. Any unregistered director or chaperone will not be permitted into the Rialto Theater during the Mass Choir rehearsal or during the concert.
Mass Choir participation includes an admission ticket to the evening concert.
The concert will feature the Georgia State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble, University Orchestra, and University Singers performing works by Eric Whitacre conducted by the composer himself.
Participation in the evening concert is required.
Participants in the Mass Choir will perform from their seats during the evening concert, creating an immersive audience experience. It is required for all Mass Choir participants to stay for the evening concert.
Dress Code for the concert will be 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 Mass Choir Participants. Changing/Dressing rooms will not be provided.
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.
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. Mass Choir participants will be dismissed for a dinner break at 5:30, following the rehearsal. Participants should make their own arrangements for dinner. Meals will not be provided.
Mass Choir bus parking will be provided during the day.
Bus parking will be provided to Mass Choir school groups during the day. Overnight bus parking will not be provided.
CHORAL FESTIVAL REPERTOIRE
Each Mass Choir participant must provide your own original copies during the rehearsal and performance. Music will not be provided.
Concert Tickets
January 19, 2024 | 7:30pm
Rialto Center for the Arts
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 Symphonic Wind Ensemble, University Orchestra and University Singers for an evening of Eric Whitacre’s music conducted by the composer himself.
Concert Tickets
Concert tickets include only admission to the evening concert, beginning at 7:30pm on Friday, January 19. Concert ticket holders will not be permitted access to the Mass Choir rehearsal or other residency sessions.
Concert Ticket Cost: $45
Residency Passes
Purchase of a Residency Access Pass or a Mass Choir Pass includes a ticket to the evening concert.
To attend rehearsals, lectures, or the Mass Choir, Passes must be purchased separately. Concert Tickets only grant access to the evening concert on Friday, January 19.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Residency Access Pass get me into the evening concert?
Yes! Residency Access Pass holders are able to observe the rehearsals, workshop and lecture, participate in the Mass Choir, and the pass includes your ticket to the evening concert.
Are meals provided for Mass Choir participants?
No. The Mass Choir will dismiss at 5:30pm. Each participant or school group will be responsible for making their own arrangements for dinner.
Should I purchase my own music for the Mass Choir?
Yes. Each Mass Choir 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?
All Georgia State School of Music students will be able to attend the 11:00am Thursday morning lecture at no charge. Current Georgia State students (music majors and non-music majors) may show their Panther ID card for access to the rehearsals at no charge. To attend the evening concert, Georgia State students must purchase a ticket through the Rialto Box Office, or must register for the Mass Choir 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 Mass Choir at any time. Members of the performing ensembles may register for the Mass Choir beginning November 15. There is no discount for Mass Choir registration. Georgia State students must provide his/her own original copies of the festival repertoire.
About Eric Whitacre
Grammy Award-winning composer and conductor, Eric Whitacre, is among today’s most popular musicians. His works are programmed worldwide and his ground-breaking Virtual Choirs have united 100,000 singers from more than 145 countries. Born in Nevada in 1970, Eric is a graduate of The Juilliard School. He is currently Visiting Composer at Pembroke College, Cambridge University (UK) and is an Ambassador for the Royal College of Music (London). He recently completed two terms as Artist in Residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale. In the 2022-2023 season, the Cincinnati Pops and the National Symphony Orchestra premiered a new commission: Prelude in C. Eric is proud to be a Yamaha Artist.
His compositions have been widely recorded and his debut album as a conductor on Universal, Light and Gold, went straight to the top of the charts, earning him a Grammy. His most recent album is a collaboration with VOCES8 on Universal Decca entitled Home featuring The Sacred Veil alongside other works spanning his thirty-year composition career. As a guest conductor he has drawn capacity audiences to concerts with many of the world’s leading orchestras and choirs in venues such as Carnegie Hall (New York), Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), the Royal Albert Hall and Buckingham Palace (London). Insatiably curious and a lover of all types of music, Eric has worked with legendary Hollywood composers Hans Zimmer, John Powell and Jeff Beal as well as British pop icons Laura Mvula, Imogen Heap and Annie Lennox. Major classical commissions have been written for the BBC Proms, Minnesota Orchestra, Rundfunkchor Berlin, The Tallis Scholars, Chanticleer, Cincinnati Pops, Kantorei, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, National Children’s Chorus of America and The King’s Singers.
His composition for symphony orchestra and chorus, Deep Field, was inspired by the achievements of the Hubble Space Telescope and became the foundation for a collaboration with NASA, the Space Telescope Science Institute and 59 Productions. The film was premiered at Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral, Florida), has been seen at arts and science festivals across the world. Deep Field has been performed in concert on several continents, and with simultaneous film projection by the New World Symphony, New World Center (Miami), Brussels Philharmonic, Flagey (Brussels), Bergen Philharmonic, Grieghallen (Bergen) among other great orchestras. His long-form work for choir, cello and piano, The Sacred Veil, is a profound meditation on love, life and loss. It was premiered by the Los Angeles Master Chorale in Walt Disney Concert Hall, conducted by the composer, and was released on Signum Records. A new version with full string orchestra was commissioned and premiered by Kantorei in Fall 2022. Eric was Composer-in-Residence at Cambridge University from 2011 – 2016.
Widely considered to be the pioneer of Virtual Choirs, Eric created his first project as an experiment in social media and digital technology. Virtual Choir 1: Lux Aurumque was published in 2010 and featured 185 singers from 12 countries. Ten years-on in 2020, Virtual Choir 6: Sing Gently – written for the Virtual Choir during the global pandemic that shook the world, COVID-19 – featured 17,562 singers from 129 countries. Previous Virtual Choir projects include ‘Glow’ written for the Winter Dreams holiday show at Disneyland© Adventure Park, California, and the Virtual Youth Choir, a major fundraiser for UNICEF. To date, the Virtual Choirs have registered over 60 million views and have been seen on global TV.
A charismatic speaker, Eric Whitacre has given keynote addresses for many Fortune 500 companies, in education and global institutions from Apple and Google to the World Economic Forum in Davos and the United Nations Speaker’s Program. His mainstage talks at the influential TED conference in Long Beach CA received standing ovations. His collaboration with Spitfire Audio resulted in a trail-blazing vocal sample library, became an instant best-seller and is used by composers the world-over.
Residency Access Pass
Mass Choir Pass
Concert Tickets
A ticket to the concert is included with your Residency Access Pass or Mass Choir Pass and does not need to be purchased separately. Tickets only to the evening concert must be purchased through the Rialto Center for the Arts Box Office.