A Virtual Soul Choir project marking 100 years of the Baha'i faith in Australia has connected people from around the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Buninyong musicians George and Geoffrey Williams released the performance video for their second Virtual Soul Choir project titled Song of Celebration last week.
It is has since been viewed more than 10,000 times and received 150 shares.
This is a project that is meant to bring joy and inspiration to everyone, and we definitely think it has done that.
- Della Vreeland, Baha'i community member
Ms Williams said the video was a different type of performance that can be shared anywhere around the world at any time, particularly through the global Baha'i community.
"It is a mystery project for everyone because until it comes together at the end we don't know what we have created," she said.
Eighty singers from Ballarat, Melbourne, other parts of Australia, Canada, Scotland, United Kingdom, Germany and India participated in the project.
Each person or family chose the part they would sing, learnt the part with the help of Ms and Mr Williams' tutorial videos, filmed themselves and sent in their video.
Ms Williams put together the visuals, while Mr Williams meshed the sound and artist Paige Duggan created the animation for the video.
The project was commissioned by Ballarat's Baha'i community to mark 100 years of the faith in Australia.
Watch the Song of Celebration performance video below.
Mr and Ms Williams wrote the Song of Celebration in 2017 from the writings of the Baha'i faith.
Ballarat Baha'i community member Della Vreeland said it was special for her and other members of the faith to be a part of the project.
"The fact that we were all in the midst of an intense lockdown and were still able to pull this off is testament to the love, passion, unity and creativity of everyone who participated," she said.
"The underlying mandate of the Baha'i faith is that of unity - so to see people from all over the world, from all faiths and no faiths, come together to sing about generosity, love, and hope in a time when all hope seems lost, is truly uplifting.
"It has been picked up by Baha'i communities all around the world. But the message of the song is a universal one...
"This is a project that is meant to bring joy and inspiration to everyone, and we definitely think it has done that."
Ms Duggan said she hoped the visual element of the video brought another level of understanding and connection to the music.
"Using symbolism in the animation can help add a layer of understanding and feeling more deeply what the song is about," she said.
Ms and Mr Williams said they will launch a new Virtual Soul Choir project in November. Watch the Song of Celebration video on YouTube or the Facebook page.
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