0:00:00.537,0:00:02.363 In 1991 I had 0:00:02.363,0:00:05.121 maybe the most profound and transformative 0:00:05.121,0:00:06.687 experience of my life. 0:00:06.687,0:00:11.414 I was in the third year of my seven-year undergraduate degree. 0:00:11.414,0:00:13.605 I took a couple victory laps in there. 0:00:13.605,0:00:17.827 And I was on a college choir tour up in Northern California, 0:00:17.827,0:00:20.484 and we had stopped for the day after all day on the bus, 0:00:20.484,0:00:22.550 and we were relaxing next to this beautiful 0:00:22.550,0:00:24.739 idyllic lake in the mountains. 0:00:24.739,0:00:29.135 And there were crickets and birds and frogs making noise, 0:00:29.135,0:00:31.851 and as we sat there, over the mountains coming in 0:00:31.851,0:00:34.819 from the north were these Steven Spielbergian clouds 0:00:34.819,0:00:36.292 rolling toward us, 0:00:36.292,0:00:38.939 and as the clouds got about halfway over the valley, 0:00:38.939,0:00:43.337 so help me God, every single animal in that place 0:00:43.337,0:00:45.553 stopped making noise at the same time. 0:00:45.553,0:00:50.637 (Whoosh) This electric hush, as if they could sense what was about to happen. 0:00:50.637,0:00:52.697 And then the clouds came over us, and then, 0:00:52.697,0:00:57.007 boom! This massive thunderclap, and sheets of rain. 0:00:57.007,0:01:00.469 It was just extraordinary, and when I came back home 0:01:00.469,0:01:03.472 I found a poem by the Mexican poet Octavio Paz, 0:01:03.472,0:01:05.973 and decided to set it to music, 0:01:05.973,0:01:08.154 a piece for choir called "Cloudburst," 0:01:08.154,0:01:11.317 which is the piece that we'll perform for you in just a moment. 0:01:11.317,0:01:15.692 Now fast forward to just three years ago. 0:01:15.692,0:01:19.133 (Music) And we released to YouTube this, 0:01:19.133,0:01:21.389 the Virtual Choir Project, 0:01:21.389,0:01:24.596 185 singers from 12 different countries. 0:01:24.596,0:01:28.033 You can see my little video there conducting these people, 0:01:28.033,0:01:29.188 alone in their dorm rooms 0:01:29.188,0:01:32.277 or in their living rooms at home. 0:01:32.277,0:01:36.003 Two years ago, on this very stage, we premiered 0:01:36.003,0:01:39.550 Virtual Choir 2, 0:01:39.550,0:01:44.112 2,052 singers from 58 different countries, 0:01:44.112,0:01:47.403 this time performing a piece that I had written called "Sleep." 0:01:47.403,0:01:52.697 And then just last spring we released Virtual Choir 3, 0:01:52.697,0:01:55.253 "Water Night," another piece that I had written, 0:01:55.253,0:02:01.517 this time nearly 4,000 singers from 73 different countries. 0:02:01.517,0:02:06.936 (Music) 0:02:06.936,0:02:09.943 And when I was speaking to Chris about the future 0:02:09.943,0:02:12.093 of Virtual Choir and where we might be able to take this, 0:02:12.093,0:02:16.854 he challenged me to push the technology as far as we possibly could. 0:02:16.854,0:02:19.357 Could we do this all in real time? 0:02:19.357,0:02:22.397 Could we have people singing together in real time? 0:02:22.397,0:02:23.992 And with the help of Skype, 0:02:23.992,0:02:26.096 that is what we are going to attempt today. 0:02:26.096,0:02:28.269 Now, we'll perform "Cloudburst" for you. 0:02:28.269,0:02:31.421 The first half will be performed by the live singers here on stage. 0:02:31.421,0:02:33.917 I'm joined by singers from Cal State Long Beach, 0:02:33.917,0:02:37.245 Cal State Fullerton and Riverside Community College, 0:02:37.245,0:02:40.565 some of the best amateur choirs in the country, and — 0:02:40.565,0:02:47.603 (Applause) -- 0:02:47.603,0:02:49.789 and in the second half of the piece, 0:02:49.789,0:02:52.611 the virtual choir will join us, 30 different singers 0:02:52.611,0:02:54.661 from 30 different countries. 0:02:54.661,0:02:57.245 Now, we've pushed the technology as far as it can go, 0:02:57.245,0:03:00.077 but there's still less than a second of latency, 0:03:00.077,0:03:02.156 but in musical terms, that's a lifetime. 0:03:02.156,0:03:03.608 We deal in milliseconds. 0:03:03.608,0:03:06.075 So what I've done is, I've adapted "Cloudburst" 0:03:06.075,0:03:08.578 so that it embraces the latency 0:03:08.578,0:03:11.483 and the performers sing into the latency 0:03:11.483,0:03:13.981 instead of trying to be exactly together. 0:03:13.981,0:03:17.245 So with deep humility, and for your approval, 0:03:17.245,0:03:19.357 we present "Cloudburst." 0:03:19.357,0:03:24.076 (Applause) 0:03:24.076,0:03:27.833 (Piano) 0:03:30.249,0:03:34.785 [The rain ...] 0:03:41.142,0:03:44.809 [Eyes of shadow-water] 0:03:46.253,0:03:50.002 [eyes of well-water] 0:04:04.512,0:04:11.275 [eyes of dream-water.] 0:04:15.439,0:04:21.451 [Blue suns, green whirlwinds,] 0:04:33.919,0:04:39.731 [birdbeaks of light pecking open] 0:04:41.687,0:04:45.459 [pomegranate stars.] 0:04:51.694,0:04:57.898 [But tell me, burnt earth, is there no water?] 0:05:10.311,0:05:15.044 [Only blood, only dust,] 0:05:18.239,0:05:22.867 [only naked footsteps on the thorns?] 0:05:34.903,0:05:38.587 [The rain awakens...] 0:05:52.271,0:05:55.583 [We must sleep with open eyes,] 0:05:55.583,0:06:00.026 [we must dream with our hands,] 0:06:08.140,0:06:12.426 [we must dream the dreams of a river seeking its course,] 0:06:13.191,0:06:17.090 [of the sun dreaming its worlds.] 0:06:27.628,0:06:33.690 [We must dream aloud,] 0:06:48.967,0:06:56.315 [we must sing till the song puts forth roots,] 0:07:15.759,0:07:19.899 [trunk, branches, birds, stars.] 0:07:45.475,0:07:50.455 [We must find the lost word,] 0:08:00.322,0:08:03.375 [and remember what the blood,] 0:08:08.187,0:08:12.658 [the tides, the earth, and the body say,] 0:08:34.991,0:08:41.759 [and return to the point of departure...] 0:08:52.561,0:09:02.415 (Music) 0:11:22.745,0:11:37.169 (Applause) 0:11:37.169,0:11:39.478 ["Cloudburst" Octavio Paz][translation by Lysander Kemp, adapted by Eric Whitacre] 0:11:39.478,0:11:46.881 Eric Whitacre: Beth. Annabelle, where are you? Jacob. 0:11:46.881,0:11:51.413 (Applause) 0:12:08.622,0:12:13.485 Thank you.