DIOC E SAN FAM ILY
Andrew Walker Leads First Diocese of Central Florida
Virtual Choir BY ERIK G UZ M A N
Those resources were delivered to Walker as quickly as possible – on Dec. 22. The deadline for vocalist submissions was Jan. 6. But an additional concern remained: How many would be available to volunteer their time over the holidays?
It was early December of 2020. COVID cases were surging. Months earlier, the decision was made that the 52nd Annual Diocesan Convention would be all virtual. In addition to remote attendance and voting, The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer's vision for the canonically required meeting went beyond protecting hundreds of delegates from a superspreader event. The Convention would have production value and showcase the parishes, ministries and members of the Diocese of Central Florida. A simple Zoom meeting wasn’t going to cut it.
Since the cost of the project was directly tied to the number of vocalists, the budget itself limited Walker and the diocesan staff when identifying singers to invite. Emails flew. Calls were made. In the end, 28 vocalists participated.
With only two months until the event on Feb. 6, 2021, planning and preproduction were underway, but there were still a lot of unknowns. One particularly challenging task yet to be tackled was the bishop’s directive to form a virtual choir featuring vocalists from across the diocese singing the closing anthem, John Rutter’s “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.”
Singers could record their audio and video on cell phones, tablets or laptops, then upload the files for Walker’s review. He said, “There was not a single person amongst them about whom I had to say anything other than ‘Great voice!’ or ‘Wonderful voice!’ or ‘Oh my goodness, she’s only 12 years old!’ It was a very good selection of voices from the diocese.”
Andrew Walker, director of music at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Orlando, rose to the challenge. After being commissioned by the bishop, Walker adjusted his schedule and made the virtual choir his top priority. “It absolutely required some immediate action,” Walker recalled. “I knew I could take care of the organ accompaniment and provide for the guide tracks without involving anybody else, which would halve the time. I could do the bass part and the alto part myself.”
While Walker worked with Arts Laureate on the audio and video, the diocesan staff collected photos to be incorporated into the final virtual choir video.
Andrew Walker
After finding a soprano and a tenor, Walker worked in his backyard studio to complete the guide tracks that remote vocalists would use to record their parts. Walker added video of himself conducting and sent the guide tracks to Arts Laureate, a team specializing in producing virtual ensemble videos at VirtualChoir.net.
Arts Laureate then prepared everything Walker needed to invite singers and facilitate their video submissions, including recording instructions, guide videos and a link to upload recordings.
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Easter 2021 CFE
Art Laureate delivered the first draft of the video on Jan. 28, and after a few minor edits, it was presented to Brewer for his approval on Feb. 2. The team incorporated the bishop’s input, and the first Diocese of Central Florida Virtual Choir was ready for the Convention with three days to spare!
Since the Convention, Walker has received a number of compliments on his work. “I try and back them up,” Walker explained. “I say, ‘Hey, listen, all I did was the guide tracks. The final manipulation of all the various video elements – that was done by a professional company.’” Walker may not have personally edited the final video, but his role in making it a success (and hitting the deadline) is indisputable.
View the virtual choir video at CFDiocese.org/2021DioCon. cfdiocese.org
