Greenwich Choral Society
Christine Howlett, Music Director
Music...Magic...Joy - since 1926
How Virtual Choirs Work
A virtual choir is a choir where members sing and video record their parts as individuals then the recordings are combined to produce a "virtual" group performance.
For a sample click on the video at the right.
Why it's so cool.
It is impossible for people to sing well together on the internet. People use different devices, and have different internet services resulting in unpredictable delays for each singers voice. Since singing together requires everyone to be on the same rhythmic beats - delays are a problem.
The way we fix it is to give each chorister an audio track to sing with as they record a video. Different tracks are provided for each part of the music - Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass.
- Each track starts with clicks(beats) at the right tempo (speed) for the song and a starting pitch for the part being sung.
- A final set of clicks before the start of sing makes it possible to synchronize the parts so that all singers are on the right notes at the same time. Each track has the sound of the whole choir in the background but with notes for the specific part played by an easily recognized instrument.
- Once all the voice videos have been received, they are merged into a single video.
The end result is a marvelous performance based on intensive effort by the conductor, singers, and video editing.
Irish Blessing
arr. James E. Moore
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again, until we meet again,
may God, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May the sun make your days bright,
may the stars illuminate your nights.
May the flowers bloom along your path,
your house stand firm against the storm.
And until we meet again, until we meet again,
may God, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.