Whitney Vandell

A global online collective of musicians will unite for their first real-life meeting and performance at the TEDx conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on November 28. At the center of the story is Whitney Vandell from Ethiopia, a musical prodigy adopted by an American missionary and music teacher.

‘Growing up without exposure to popular music the idea of becoming a recording artist never crossed my mind.

When my grandparents gave me a MacBook for graduation I discovered how simple it is to record and mix multiple tracks layered on top of each other. Hearing how the music in my head actually sounds like changed my life’, says Whitney.

After pushing the limits of home recording as far as she could, Whitney reached out to professional musicians on Internet forums to help her complete her album.

The result is a collection of tracks that defy categorization of any genre or performance style. The completed album seamlessly blends everything from classical, rock, hip-hop, and the blues to folk music without pretension or prejudice and will be launched at the TEDx conference in Addis Ababa.

The inspiring story is proof to musicians worldwide that it doesn’t matter whom or where you are located. All you need to produce a symphonic album with a string section, brass and choir is passion, a laptop and an Internet connection.

“Today, neither borders nor differences in language or culture can keep musicians apart to stop them from realising their dreams! Despite us all being from different worlds and working with oceans between us we came together as if we were all sitting in the same room”, says Scott Schurr, a violinist and collaborator on the album.

To raise the funds needed to cover travel expenses for as many of the musicians as possible, a pre-release of Whitney’s debut album ‘One-Girl Symphony’ will be sold exclusively as an Android mobile app for 1 USD.

It will feature four full songs along with extracts from the album.

A KickStarter campaign is also being launched on August 1 and among the rewards offered to supporters are homestays in Addis Ababa with Whitney as your guide.

For more information, please visit the website: www.WhitneyVandell.com