Last Saturday I recorded at Bastyr Cathedral in Seattle with the Ensign Symphonic Chorus, and it was quite an experience to remember.
I had been preparing for this day for months, as well as the choir. They recorded 4 of my songs going on my upcoming Christmas album, one of which is an all new original song I've written called "Alleluia".
We spent half of the day recording, and the 2nd half filming for a music video for Alleluia. Tel Stewart (formerly of The Piano Guys) came and shot the video for us. He did an amazing job and was really great to work with.
A week before the shoot, the helicopter drone that he was going to bring up from UT had crashed, and Will and I spent a lot of time trying to find a replacement in the Seattle area for him but to no avail.
The night before the big day, my production crew and I all went out to dinner and afterwards Will and Tel decided there was just already too much going into this to not try for a helicopter. They were needing a specific kind, and Will spent half the night on FB Inspire Drone groups trying to find a pilot. A few people replied saying that they would love to do it but they didn't feel comfortably flying indoors or with people around.
However, at the last minute Adam saved the day (and is actually deemed one of the best drone pilots in the NW). He drove all the way up from Portland Saturday morning and did the shots. And he did a really amazing job - so smooth and steady. They are the "money shots" for sure. I'm very excited!!
I'm just going to upload the whole lot of photos....in random order. Some of these were taken by Will, some were from other people's cameras and phones that were sent to me.
By the way, Bastyr is renowned as one of the best recording spaces in the world. People come from all over to record choirs and orchestras here because of the amazing acoustics that it has. You can hear a sample of my Alleluia song here. This clip was taken straight from the tracks we recorded with no additional reverb or mastering added:
And finally....a few rough still frames from the video footage.
We are still trying to develop the storyline ideas for the rest of the video, but it will be done and ready for Christmas later this year. :) I'm so grateful for all of these opportunities and feel truly blessed.
