Getting back into the swing of things

I did a thing! This was the 5th Virtual Choir project that I have participated in, having also done VC 2-4 and the World of Color Honor Choir. (Sixth, if you count the Virtual Youth Choir that a student of mine submitted a video for.) Eric Whitacre is one of my favorite composers, and I love these Virtual Choirs that give me an opportunity to perform his music.

This project was a bit different than the previous, as there was not as much to record in the way of vocal parts. Deep Field is written for orchestra and electronic instruments in addition to the chorus part. You can read more about the piece and his compositional process and inspiration here or you can listen to a recording on Soundcloud. Be on the look out later this year for the (slightly modified) Virtual Choir edition!

I am also excited to be learning some new pieces to perform. "Tu che di gel sei cinta" is from Puccini's Turandot. In it, Liu sings of how she loves her master and, no matter how much Turandot tortures her to learn his name, she would rather die than betray him - and that surely Turandot will learn to love him as she does. 
The others are from modern operas. "Mommy, Are You Here?" comes from Berstein's A Quiet Place, in which Dede talks to her recently deceased mother while visiting her garden.
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"Adelaide's Wedding Aria" is even more contemporary, written by Jonathan Dove for his community opera, The Enchanted Pig. The libretto is based on the fairy tale by the same name, at the start of which it is foretold that 2 sisters will marry princes while the 3rd will marry a pig. This aria is sung by one of the first 2 sisters on her wedding day, as she has a "bridezilla" moment about what she had dreamed about as being her "perfect" day. If you only have time to listen to one of these three recordings, I recommend this one - it's a hoot!