MUENSTER — Just because the St. Peter’s Chorus can’t get together physically doesn’t mean they can’t sing for the world.
After seeing videos of a few virtual choirs online, Manny Lefebvre, the chorus’ tech guru, was inspired to try it himself.
“I proposed it to the choir and we ended up with some that were interested,” he said.
“I wanted to try to keep everybody singing. You miss it. You miss the camaraderie and you miss the singing. I thought this would be one way to keep going.”
To produce the virtual choir, Lefebvre first posted a backup track on the chorus’ website. The singers then listen to it with their headphones at home, recording themselves singing along.
“They're sending me nothing but themselves singing, there's no background music with it,” Lefebvre said.
Then, using iMovie, Lefebvre edited all of the recordings together, synchronizing the music, as well as trying to synchronize lip movements, into one video where the choir is singing.
Of the chorus’ 55 members, 14 participated in the first song and 11 in the second.
The two songs played, All Things Bright and Beautiful and Walk in the Wind, were ones the chorus was planning to sing at their spring concert.
“I also thought it's a shame to just let it all die,” Lefebvre said. “Since we all kind of knew this stuff a little bit already, I thought, well, let's see if we can make one of them work.”
With more of the choir members getting busy in the spring, Lefebvre said the two songs were the only ones they’d do this season, but if restrictions remain in the fall, maybe the choir will do it again.
The songs can be found on the St. Peter’s Chorus Facebook page.
