A global collaborative orchestra? Holy harpsichord, that sounds ambitious. Tan Dun, of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame, has created Internet Symphony No. 1 “Eroica” just for the occasion. And Google/YouTube is, of course, facilitating the process.
Got what it takes to take part? You have till the end of January to download the sheet music, practice the shit out of your part (want pro advice on that one tricky bassoon or cor anglais part? check out the master classes), videotape it, and upload your submission. Then perform and record a second piece of your choosing. You know, that one that will make you stand out among hundreds thousands all those other people. Simple, really.
So, get to it. YouTubers around the world will be watching, listening and voting on the semifinalists in February (semifinalists will be chosen by real music nerds hailing from orchestras around the world – including the San Francisco Symphony, yay) . If you are an insanely awesome instrumentalist, maybe you’ll be chosen to play in the live performance at Carnegie Hall in April 2009!
…And for the rest of us realists, we’ll be watching and voting with interest. Don’t play an instrument at all? Venture Beat has a suggestion: “sing an instrumental part (if you can imitate the sound of a French horn) or beatbox the percussion part.”
