"Whitacre is that rare thing, a modern composer who is both popular and original"
- The Daily Telegraph, London

Eric has inspired millions as composer, conductor, innovator, broadcaster and charismatic public speaker. His compositions rank among the most popular and frequently performed of the early 21st century, their reach broadened since 2010 by the extraordinary success of his online Virtual Choir project. Light & Gold, his first album as composer and conductor, won the 2012 Grammy® Award for Best Choral Recording and instantly topped the US and UK classical album charts.

Born in Nevada, he discovered a passion for choral music while studying at UNLV and he began composing soon after. He went on to study at the Juilliard School of Music in New York under John Corigliano. Many of his choral compositions, Cloudburst, Lux Aurumque and Sleep among them, have entered the standard choral repertoire and his orchestral music has been performed by some of the world’s most distinguished orchestras both sides of the Atlantic. Eric is currently Composer-in-Residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University, UK.

A distinguished speaker, Eric has been invited to address the UN Leaders Programme, give the closing plenary at Davos World Economic Forum and to speak for UNICEF and Google among others. He has appeared twice on the main stage at the global TED conference in Long Beach CA, earning standing ovations on both occasions. Recent Virtual Choir projects include ‘Glow’ written for the Winter Dreams holiday show at Disneyland© Adventure California and the Virtual Youth Choir, in association with UNICEF, which premiered at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Broadcast live to 119 countries worldwide, Eric made his iTunes Festival debut with his professional choir in 2014, inviting multi award-winning composer and conductor Hans Zimmer to join him on stage. The performance was consequently released as a live album. Eric returned to the Minnesota Orchestra for a second residency in 2015 culminating in three performances at Orchestra Hall.


Founder SoundCloud, Dance & Klaradal. Artist http://soundcloud.com/forss

Singer/songwriter Eric Ott possesses a raw, open-soul approach to both songwriting and performing, exposing nerves at that root while making listeners feel as though they’re part of something larger than themselves.

Ott has fronted Mercuryhat since 2001, releasing two critically-acclaimed records in the process (Hover and Blinding Blues, Stinging Bees). His songs are a simple mix of what he calls “cowboy chords” and darkly-edged lyrics, derived mainly from the rigors of love, marriage, divorce and the great unknown. His words appear sunny in their context to the song, but upon closer inspection reveal an inner pain close to all with rich coursing blood and a heart to match.

Ott was weaned on the melodies and sticky harmonies of 1970’s AM radio. “As long as I can remember I have always been humming a song in my head, whether it was something I heard on the radio, or something I made up,” Ott said. “I remember asking my mom to purchase ‘Band on the Run’ by Wings, and I think those early years were the foundation for my quest for a sweet melody.”

Blinding Blues and Stinging Bees is a dissection of the human condition, a first-hand account of not only the unraveling of the soul, but the reconstruction of it, piece by piece. Musically it falls somewhere between the Jayhawks’ Rainy Day Music, Ryan Adams’ Jacksonville City Nights, and R.E.M’s Monster.

Despite the frank nature of his songs, Ott instills a wry sense of humor onstage which keeps the audience engaged between numbers. He never lets the content of his songs affect his stage presence and personality. In fact, it’s his openness which allows easy access to his core being, and it’s through this lens which we view a sophisticated by approachable songwriter, one for the times, and for all-time.

21 year old music producer from Hertfordshire, England.

All Enquiries: RichardSoundz@gmail.com

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