"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.


Anastasia Barzee is a celebrated Broadway, Film and Television actress. She is a graduate of Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Along with fellow Miami grads, the Grammy Award nominated Matt Pierson (Producer) and Grammy Winner Gil Goldstein (Arrangements) she has recorded a solo album, The Dimming of the Day, of eclectic contemporary standards which is scheduled to be released on September 27, 2011 on Ghostlight Records. The album features songs by Kate Bush, Paul Simon, Andrew LLoyd Webber, Rufus Wainwright, Jimmy Webb and more and boasts the talents of Gil Goldstein, Larry Campbell and Steve Wilson playing on the tracks.
 
Ms. Barzee has starred on Broadway in numerous musicals and plays. They include: The Tony Award winning production of Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 as Lady Mortimer opposite Kevin Kline, The Tony award winning Urinetown as Hope, Jekyll & Hyde as Emma, and Miss Saigon as the American wife Ellen. She created and starred as Josephine in the West End production of Napoleondirected by Francesca Zambello. Back Stateside, Anastasia created the role of Betty Haynes in the Musical White Christmas directed by Walter Bobbie. Also with Bobbie directing, Anastasia played Lorna Moon in Golden Boy (musical) for New York’s City Center Encores series. For this portrayal, Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, “Ms Barzee has a pure-lined, heartfelt way with a song”, and the Daily News critic Howard Kissel wrote, ” Barzee is devastating, especially the way she catches every nuance of the haunting title song”.
 
Among her many regional credits are The Kennedy Center’s Sondheim Celebration production of Merrily We Roll Along. Her performance of the wronged wife Beth, who sings NOT A DAY GOES BY won her rave reviews and she was asked to reprise a performance of the song for Lincoln Center’s Sondheim Celebration Concert. She will also be singing at the Kennedy Center’s re-union concert next Summer (2012) in D.C.
 
In television, Ms. Barzee has guest starred on numerous shows including: Law & Order:SVU, White Collar, Law & Order, Murder She Wrote with Angela Lansbury, Get a Life (as Chris Elliot’s girlfriend), Herman’s Head (as Herman’s girlfriend) and more. She appeared in the 2010 Doug Liman feature Fair Game opposite Sean Penn.
 
She can be heard on original cast recordings of WHITE CHRISTMAS, NAPOLEON, and SUNSET BOULEVARD.


Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, and actress Hila Plitmann is a glittering jewel on the international music scene, known worldwide for her astonishing musicianship, light and beautiful voice, and the ability to perform challenging new works. She regularly premieres works by today’s leading composers while maintaining a vibrant and extraordinarily diverse professional life in film music, musical theatre, and song writing.

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