Eric Whitacre launches Virtual School with The Beautiful Mess: Masterclass in Composition and Creativity

 

 The Beautiful Mess opens a window to the creative process of one of today’s most charismatic and successful composers

 Virtual School provides tools, strategies and inspiration to help people of all ages and abilities compose music, and encourage everyone to experience the satisfaction of creating something from nothing

 Examples from Whitacre’s works form the rich core of Virtual School curriculum, dissected and explained in detail by their composer

 Video masterclasses supported by extensive study materials for teachers and students prepared by leading music educators

 virtualschool.ericwhitacre.com open for enrollment from November 1, 2021

 

Eric Whitacre’s insights into the creative process have deepened over more than thirty years of musical exploration and invention. Now the Juilliard School alumnus, award-winning composer, conductor and in-demand public speaker is set to share what he has learned about making music with attendees in the Virtual School. Designed for students of all ages, backgrounds and levels of musical experience, the Virtual School opens on November 1, 2021, with The Beautiful Mess: Masterclass in Composition and Creativity.

 The Beautiful Mess provides honest access to the art of composing. In his first ever masterclass series, Eric Whitacre describes how he conceives and constructs pieces and how he transforms his initial ideas by applying a wide range of inspirational methods and tools. He shares the philosophy, practical wisdom and spiritual experiences that inform his compositions and give them meaning and explore the irresistible human need to make something from nothing. He illustrates the process by unpicking what he describes as a composition’s Deep Structure and demonstrating how it is built, layer upon layer.

 “I love the childlike feeling of joy that comes when you create something that has never been heard before,” observes Eric Whitacre. “I still feel that excitement no matter how many times I start work on a new piece. Yet the creative act is also a terrifying, mystical, maddening, soul-wrenching experience. I want my music to express beauty and truth but getting there from a blank page is a messy business. In Virtual School we’ll talk about the beautiful and the truth, although I’ll spend more time exploring that creative mess. And I’ll look at every part of the creative process and discuss at length how I deal with inspiration, writer’s block, deadlines, poetry, word painting, dissonance, and silence. Above all, I hope the course will be a useful tool for anyone who longs to bring new ideas and life to their world and make something from nothing.”

The Beautiful Mess comprises a dozen video masterclass chapters, in which Whitacre explores key concepts drawn from his personal approach to composition and an extensive series of short videos entitled ‘Things I’ve Learned.’ The course is backed by reference sheets and study guides created by leading music educators, the acclaimed composer, teacher and choral consultant Emily Crocker and Dr Christopher Peterson, Professor of Music at California State University, Fullerton. Their input complements Eric’s masterclasses with lessons devised for a range of abilities: those with no musical training or knowledge of musical notation; high school or college entry-level students with some musical experience and understanding of notation; and those with existing musical training and the skills required to read and create music. A rich resource for asynchronous learning, Virtual School students are encouraged to explore creative ideas and exercises from Whitacre’s videos whenever and wherever they choose. Skills of creativity and invention developed through this course support social and emotional learning and can be applied to multiple areas of life and the workplace.

The Beautiful Mess shows students how to sketch ideas, words, and images on a style sheet, what Eric Whitacre calls his ‘Snake Wearing Pants’; discover the ‘Golden Brick’ with which he builds a new composition, perhaps a sonorous chord or even a melody of four notes; shape a work’s ‘Emotional Architecture’; and weave a web of background counterpoint. The course includes videos on ‘Building with the Golden Brick’, ‘Painting with Sound’ and ‘Finding Your Voice’. These are enhanced by a series of short companion films entitled ‘Things I’ve Learned’, including ‘Do Something’, ‘Question Everything’, ‘Silence’, ‘Doubt’, and the essential instruction to ‘Fail Big, Fail Often’.

 Future Virtual School courses will train the spotlight on individual Whitacre works and enable students to discover the composer’s revelatory insights into some of his most loved and performed works. In addition to his video masterclasses, Eric plans to hold live, online sessions for participants several times a year through webinars devoted to specific elements of the creative process.

 

virtualschool.ericwhitacre.com

 

• Ends -

 

ERIC WHITACRE

Eric Whitacre, an alumnus of New York’s renowned Juilliard School of Music, stands among the Top 10 most frequently performed contemporary composers. He joined the illustrious roster of Yamaha Artists this February, an accolade held by some of the world’s finest musicians and continues to widen the audience for classical music through such pioneering enterprises as his Virtual Choir and collaborations across musical genres and creative disciplines. Virtual Choir, now in its sixth iteration, has attracted over 80 million views on YouTube, and united more than 35,000 singers from 145 countries since its launch in 2010.

Alongside his work as composer and performer, Eric is in high demand as a public speaker and masterclass leader. His talks for TED main stage, at the World Economic Forum in Davos and the United Nations, and to such multinational corporations as Apple and Google have opened influential minds to the vital importance of cultural education and the value of musical performance to people of all backgrounds and ages. Eric’s achievements as teacher and mentor embrace everything from leading workshop sessions with high school and college students to a fruitful period as Composer-in-Residence at the University of Cambridge (UK).

 

VIRTUAL SCHOOL

Launch date                       November 1, 2021

Future courses                   Launching summer 2022 (content to be announced early 2022)

Writer & Presenter              Eric Whitacre

Director                             Laurence Servaes

Editor, Colorist                   Ben James

Cinematography                 Marc Royce

Exec. Producer                   Meg Davies, Music Productions

Assoc. Producer                 Claire Long, Music Productions

Graphic Design                  Damien du Toit, Toitoit

Distribution partner            Hal Leonard, LLC

 

CONTACT

Music Productions

Meg Davies meg@musicprods.co.uk

Claire Long claire@musicprods.co.uk

44 (0) 1753 783 739