Eric Whitacre

Eric Whitacre's professional career in choral music has also began at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He then went on to obtain a master's degree from the Juilliard School in New York, where he was subsequently described as: "a rare contemporary composer who is both popular and original" (The Daily Telegraph, London). His most recent awards include two Grammy Awards (in 2007 and 2012), the Richard D. Colburn Award from the Colburn School, and an honorary Doctorate of Arts from Chapman University in California. He gained particular popularity with his concept of 'Virtual Choirs', which united over 100,000 singers from more than 145 countries. He has performed as a guest artist in Los Angeles and is currently a visiting composer at Pembroke College. He is also an ambassador for the Royal College of Music in London and a Yamaha artist. His long-standing collaboration with Decca Classics has also brought him lasting success. His latest work, The Eternity in an Hour, premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the BBC Proms festival in September 2024. He conducted the performance and provided the live electronics. In 2025, his piece The Pacific Has No Memory, commissioned by violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, was premiered at Carnegie Hall, followed by a performance by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. His collaboration with the Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer resulted in them co-composing the music for the film Pirates of the Caribbean. As a conductor, he has performed with dozens of choirs and orchestras around the world, including the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to his pioneering work in bringing virtual choirs to life since 2010, he launched a virtual school in 2021 with his first course, 'The Beautiful Mess: A Masterclass in Composition and Creativity'.