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Deep FieldThe Impossible Magnitude of our Universe

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Virtual Choir 5

Created especially for Deep Field: The Impossible Magnitude of our Universe, a new iteration of Whitacre’s ground-breaking Virtual Choir invited singers from around the world to submit their performances of Deep Field.  Over 8,000 voices from 120 countries, aged 4 – 87, are seen and heard at the climax of the work, as the Deep Field is revealed.

It had been 5 years since Eric last created a Virtual Choir. What was new about VC5?

  • Accessibility: we wanted make Virtual Choir 5 as accessible as possible to people no matter their demographic or musical ability. For the first time, singers didn’t need to be able to read music to take part. A choir without boundaries, VC5 includes educators and students from schools and colleges as well as adults from all walks of life, including singers from NASA, ESA, astronauts and scientists who worked on Hubble.
  • Technology: we supported a larger number of platforms than ever before including multiple mobile platforms.
  • STEAM Education: alongside the recording process, we created a 18-badge STEAM challenge. VC5-ers wrote their name in binary, identified galaxies and learnt about how the Fibonacci sequence appears in art. Find out more and earn all the badges on the Deep Field website.
  • Scientific Research: we partnered with Dr. Daisy Fancourt to investigate how people experience virtual cultural events and their effects on wellbeing. This vital research aims to support the hypothesis that cultural experiences can improve one’s wellbeing and that, when conducted virtually, they can be particularly powerful for those isolated from society.

Meet the VC5 Team

Eric Whitacre

Composer, conductor, artistic director of the Virtual Choir and Deep Field Project.

Claire Long

Eric’s global Manager and business partner, Managing Director of Music Productions and Executive Producer of the Virtual Choir and Deep Field project.

Meg Davies

Eric’s Producer, Director of Music Productions, Producer of the Virtual Choir and Deep Field project.

Damien du Toit

Eric’s graphic and web designer, creator of the Virtual Choir platform.


VC5 Volunteer Support Team

Jack Rowland

Tireless leader of Volunteer Support Team, VC veteran, tech and choir geek.

Peter Budd (Aus), Camille Cook Lee (USA), Sally Goodwin (England), Wei Jiang (Aus), Julie Souin (USA)

Dedicated, smart, VC veterans who are there to help across all time zones.


Creators of the Deep Field Film

Space Telescope Science Institute

Since Hubble’s launch in 1990, STScI has performed the science operations for Hubble, the most famous observatory in history. It also leads the science and mission operations for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), planned to launch in 2020.

59 Productions

Innovators, creators, imagineers, film-makers.


Our Supporters

Our sincere thanks is extended to our partners in the Deep Field project without whom this project would not have been possible.

Boosey & Hawkes
Hal Leonard
Distinguished Concerts International New York
Dunard Fund
Leigh Bureau
Primephonic
Walton Music
J.W. Pepper & Son, Inc.