UK’s BBC Singers Announces New Artist-in-Residence

The GRAMMY Award-winning composer Eric Whitacre will assume the role, effective immediately

As the BBC Singers’ new artist-in-residence, the acclaimed American composer and conductor Eric Whitacre will be playing a pivotal role in the chamber choir’s 2024/25 season centenary celebrations.

Additionally, Whitacre will be working closely with the ensemble’s newly appointed director Jonathan Manners, to deliver “an enriching program of work for concerts and broadcasts.”

Hailing from Nevada, Whitacre is a graduate of The Juilliard School and is primarily a composer of choral music, which he often conducts himself. He has also broken records with his online Virtual Choir projects — the sixth project “Sing Gently” featured 17,572 singers from 129 countries.

Currently artist-in-residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and visiting composer at Pembroke College, Cambridge University, he is also an ambassador for London’s Royal College of Music. Additionally, Whitacre’s long-term relationship with Universal/Decca Classics has produced several chart-topping albums. 

In 2025, Whitacre’s Murmur, commissioned by violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, will receive its premiere by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

Britain’s only full-time professional chamber choir,  the BBC Singers narrowly avoided disbandment in 2023 — which was then part of the BBC’s new strategy for classical music. This year, the group has given a number of sold-out concerts at the BBC Proms, including the First Night, CBeebies Proms, and Beethoven’s Ninth with Aurora Orchestra.

Whitacre will join the BBC Singers in Prom 60: Late Night with Eric Whitacre on September 4, 2024. The concert will feature the world premiere of Whitacre’s Eternity in an Hour, based on a poem by William Blake.

Additionally, on October 2, 2024, the BBC Singers will return to the Barbican Hall with their Centenary Concert, featuring Whitacre alongside Anna Lapwood and Abel Selaocoe. 

“I am deeply honored to take up the role of artist-in-residence with this incredible and distinguished musical family,” Whitacre told BBC Music Magazine. “This is not just an opportunity to make music together, but to grow alongside artists who inspire me daily. I hope that we can celebrate the music we love and explore new ideas and opportunities on the concert platform, in the studio and in music education. I’m excited for the journey ahead.”