It’s the midpoint of the semester here at Luther Seminary. Which means it’s been a week of midterms, candidacy interviews for second-year students, approval interviews for seniors, and more. There is, at this point of the semester, often a discernible weariness you can detect on the faces of students and faculty alike. For me, it’s also the midpoint of my regular commute from our new home near Philly to the Twin Cities. Quite frankly, that commute has gone as well as I could possibly have hoped – few delayed flights, just enough time to get work done, and a cleverly arranged schedule (thank you, Office of the Registrar!) that means...

Eric Whitacre is known for his breathtaking compositions of choral work. He has published more than four-dozen pieces and recorded several albums. More recently, he’s become known as the guy who puts together virtual choirs. What is a virtual choir, you ask. Well, his one first involved inviting 185 voices from a dozen countries to sing and record their various parts in their living rooms, door rooms, or wherever, and send them to him. Whitacre then combined all of these recordings into a single “virtual choir.” The finished piece became an instant You-Tube sensation in 2010. A year later, he gathered more than 2000 voices from 85...