Eric Whitacre (born January 2, 1970 in Nevada) is a prolific American composer who, among a host of many achievements throughout his career, co-composed the soundtrack to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with Hans Zimmer. The other day while listening to CBC Radio 2’s TEMPO With Julie Nesrallah at work (which I do every single day from 9am to 1pm Eastern, thank you very much) I had a delicious moment of zen when Whitacre’s stunning choral piece entitled “Water Night” came on the air. Many of Eric Whitacre’s works have entered the standard choral and symphonic repertories and have become the subject of scholarly works and doctoral dissertations, and Whitacre has received composition awards from the Barlow International Composition Competition, the ACDA and the American Composers Forum, among others. In 2001, he became the youngest recipient ever awarded the Raymond C. Brock commission by the ACDA. Eric currently lives in London with his (very lucky) wife, Grammy award winning soprano, Hila Plitmann and their son. For more from the world of Eric Whitacre be sure to visit EricWhitacre.com. For more great stories from the world of classical music be sure to visit Classical Music on FEELguide. Now, prepare yourself for the amazingness that is Eric Whitacre’s “Water Night”. You’re welcome.
