Joby Burgess launched the Virtual Marimba Choir on April 20, 2020. Percussionists were invited to record individual parts for Burgess’s arrangement of Eric Whitacre’s Sleep, following a virtual conductor video and scrolling score rather than a click track. The requested upload deadline was May 11.
In his May 29 project note, Burgess says 227 percussionists from 40 countries contributed recordings on marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, steel pan and electronic mallet synthesizer. The combined performance is presented on the project page.
Programme
- Eric Whitacre: Sleep (arr. Joby Burgess)
Performers
- Joby Burgess — project leader and arranger
- 227 contributing percussionists — individual mallet-instrument and steelpan recordings; names are not enumerated in the project note