Only six rehearsals preceded the singing of the first choral pieces Bell Carol an Jouluhymni by the Laboratory Choir. The first arrangement is now available on YouTube and represents a great result of the Erasmus+ research project Choir@Home. The special thing about it: the 34 participants from six countries did not sing in a room as usual, but used the digital low-latency software Soundjack to make music together. The singers‘ voices came together directly, resulting in a choir that actually sang in sync without any noticeable delay. The choir was conducted by Markus Rohregger from the Mozarteum Salzburg, who was able to influence both the individual vocal groups and the overall effect during the rehearsals.
The participants enthusiastically took on the special demands of singing together, who were able to see each other via a conference system, but could only hear each other with low latency. The fact that the singers had to concentrate primarily on listening posed a particular challenge. However, with headsets and equipped with modern technology, the hurdles were easily overcome.
Physical distance no longer played a role: singers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein and the USA are part of the laboratory choir and thus form the basis for a new scientific approach to choral and music education in a digital context as well as for technical reflection and media use.