Choirs Aotearoa NZ Trust in association with JCP presents

In a landmark moment for choral music in Aotearoa New Zealand, Grammy Award winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre is presenting in concert one of his most recent compositions, THE SACRED VEIL, sung by Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir.

Eric Whitacre’s works are programmed worldwide and his ground-breaking Virtual Choirs have united singers from more than 145 countries over the last decade. A graduate of Juilliard School of Music, Eric completed his second term as Artist in Residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 2020 having served five years as Composer in Residence at the University of Cambridge. In 2021, Eric was named a Yamaha Artist.

There will be an opening performance from the NZ Youth Choir in Auckland, and NZ Secondary Students’ Choir in Wellington, both performing a selection of Whitacre’s works conducted by Whitacre himself. This will be followed by Voices New Zealand presenting his long-form work The Sacred Veil, a profound meditation on love, life and loss, written with Whitacre's frequent collaborator, poet & historian Charles Anthony Silvestri. The work was premiered by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and released on Signum Records in 2020. This will be conducted by Eric Whitacre.

In "The Sacred Veil," Whitacre and the Master Chorale memorably celebrate the precarious beauty of life, offering the welcome consolation of art and a momentary stay against our collective fate.

- LA Times

NOTE FROM ERIC

The Sacred Veil is a 12-movement work and the most recent collaboration between Eric Whitacre and poet/lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri telling a story of life, love and loss. Silvestri's wife, Julie, died of ovarian cancer at age 36 in 2005, leaving two young children. Including texts from Silvestri, Whitacre and Julie herself, the intimate, compelling score tells a story of courtship, love, loss and the search for solace. Although inspired by this extraordinary and moving friendship, the piece does not mention Julie by name and shares a very human journey -one that so many of us can relate to.

Check out Eric’s viral TED talk

Keeping everyone safe

• Our choir and staff are fully vaccinated
• There will be restricted audience numbers in the Red level of the Protection Framework
• Bubbles will be spatially distanced
• Audience will be required to wear masks
• If you have any specific questions around our commitment to keep our choir and audience safe, feel free to email choirs@choirsnz.co.nz

The Sacred Veil was commissioned by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Grant Gershon, Artistic Director, and co-commissioned by Monash Academy of Performing Arts - MLIVE and NTR ZaterdagMatinee for the Netherlands Radio Choir.

Presented by arrangement with John Cristian Productions and Music Productions LTD

With support from: