Have you ever felt deeply moved by a piece of art? Perhaps a movie, book, dance, painting, or piece of music even spurred you to create? Transcending Boundaries is a wide-ranging collection of poems inspired by Eric Whitacre and Virtual Choir. These poems of inclusiveness and love act as an antidote to divisiveness and fear. I first heard about Eric Whitacre from his TED talk. He's a Grammy award-winning composer/conductor who envisioned what became the global phenomenon of Virtual Choir. The way it works is this: From anywhere in the world, singers learn and record their individual parts (soprano, alto, tenor, or bass) to one of his choral pieces. The videos are sent via the internet, compiled, and released. The first 4 VC videos have been viewed more than ten million times! Singers of all ages and abilities, from everywhere in the world, are encouraged to join in. Thousands of singers from more than 100 countries have participated. No one is turned away.
My whole life I've loved to sing. Once I heard about Virtual Choir, I longed to be part of it. For VC3 and VC4, I learned the music, recorded, and sent in my alto videos. For five years I also wrote this series of poems sparked by Eric Whitacre-his glorious music, gracious interviews, and Facebook posts-and the compelling stories and true connections with VC singers. My intention with Transcending Boundaries is to aid in healing what seems to divide us, enhance compassion and empathy, and awaken the imagination, encouraging yet further creativity.
Who should read this? Anyone who has ever felt the power of music (or any art) to move us: listeners, singers, musicians, and of course, those who are part of Virtual Choir. These reflective poems allow you to experience optimism, generosity, playfulness, kindness, and beauty, celebrating the open-hearted, richness of being human.
May healing inspiration continue to ripple out.
About the Author: Margaret Dubay Mikus is the author of three award-winning books, As Easy as Breathing, Letting Go and New Beginnings, and Thrown Again into the Frazzle Machine. A former molecular genetics research scientist and teacher, she healed from multiple sclerosis and breast cancer, which cracked open her creativity. As a poet, singer, photographer, healer, and storyteller, Margaret has published poems and essays in literary journals, newsletters, magazines, and anthologies, online and in print. She was honored as the Illinois Featured Author for the Willow Review in 2013. Margaret is the creator of Life Support Cards(TM) and designed a personal writing guide based on her popular poem, "I Am Willing." Selected poems and 3 original songs are on her CD, Full Blooming. For as long as she can remember, she has loved to sing.
