ViRUS I is a composition for eight classical guitars, written by Sean in the 1990’s. The first in a series of three “viral” pieces, it was inspired by the Ebola outbreak of 1995. When Coronavirus locked-down 2020, Aaron suggested revisiting one of Sean’s classical compositions as a remote collaborative musical project. This piece seemed the perfect fit.
Sean and Aaron set about finding eight guitarists to be rehearsed under Sean’s remote direction and record their performances at home. Many messages later, seven brave souls signed on from across the United States. Sean joined as the final member of the octet. Once all recordings were received, the audio was mixed at bitsANDwaves in Brooklyn, NY.
Director and Cinematographer, Sherief Elkatsha set the video in motion with some wise words and a thumb-drive full of NYC lock-down footage. Friends and family sent in additional video and Aaron found a wealth of clips on the fantastic Pexels.com to fill in the gaps. The video evolved into a short film featuring the work of over one hundred cinematographers from around the world. The breadth of the material shows us as we were pre-pandemic, how it looked when things changed, what it means to be together, and questions whether we are ever truly separate.
The music is a rumination on the nature and meaning of interconnections and the film an arresting, kaleidoscopic look at our vast and interwoven human experience. We are eternally grateful to everyone who contributed work to this project. The generosity displayed was hope in a scary , dark time.
Composed by Sean R. Ferguson
Edited and Directed by Aaron L Martinez
Audio Edited by Sean R Ferguson
Audio Mixed and Mastered by Aaron L Martinez
Musicians:
Isabella Abbonizio – Fleischmann NY
www.isabellaabbonizio.com
David Isaacs – Long Beach CA
www.isaacsguitar.net
www.facebook.com/isaacsguitar
www.instagram.com/isaacsguitar/
David Kurtz – Brooklyn NY
Zach Layton – High Falls NY
zachlaytonindustries.com
zachlayton.bandcamp.com
Elvis Lederer – Las Vegas NV
www.elvislederer.com
www.soundtrackshack.com
Daniel Johnson – Tualatin OR
www.instagram.com/djxguitar
Jeff Turlik – Branchburg NJ
www.jeffturlik.com/
Cinematography:
Sherief Elkatsha
https://www.sheriefelkatsha.com
Anthony Aristide Henderson
https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/nycmmetry
Amanda Lee Tromp
https://www.amandaleetromp.com
https://www.pexels.com/collections/virus-1-contributers-rndyg17
