Simple Songs

Tonight is a special milestone, as the 5th annual Collaborative Works Festival opens tonight in Chicago.  The annual vocal chamber music festival is presented each year by Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, an organization devoted to the preservation and promotion of art song and vocal chamber music that I co-founded with two amazing colleagues, Nicholas Hutchinson and Shannon McGinnis, back in 2010.

Having been a part of launching and growing this Festival for the past five years has been an incredible privilege that has affected me deeply, most notably focusing and honing my artistry - enhancing my passion for this art form with a deep sense of mission.  As we go into tonight's opening concert, I am deeply grateful to my phenomenal co-founders Shannon and Nick for all that they do to make this organization grow year after year, working with the army of world-class artists, incredibly generous donors, amazing board members and advisors, and devoted volunteers that we have been lucky enough to call the CAIC family.  It's been an beautiful and exciting journey so far, with the past five years seeing inspiring performances from my colleagues, magical educational moments, and exponential audience growth all combining with the overwhelming generosity of our supporters to build a much-needed platform for this exquisite, intimate art form.

It seems only fitting to celebrate this 5th anniversary with a song - with one that was a featured part of last year's Festival, but also which encapsulates all that we have been trying to do over the past five years at CAIC - to sing simple songs.

Here's to reaching 5 years, and to looking forward to the many more to come.

Leonard Bernstein
Simple Song from 'Mass'

TEXT (Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Schwartz):

Sing God a simple song:
Lauda, Laudē
Make it up as you go along:
Lauda, Laudē
Sing like you like to sing.
God loves all simple things,
For God is the simplest of all,
For God is the simplest of all.
I will sing the Lord a new song
To praise Him, to bless Him, to bless the Lord.
I will sing His praises while I live
All of my days.
Blesed is the man who loves the Lord,
Blessed is the man who praises Him.
Lauda, Lauda, Laudē
And walks in His ways.
I will lift up my eyes
To the hills from whence comes my help.
I will lift up my voice to the Lord
Singing Lauda, Laudē.
For the Lord is my shade,
Is the shade upon my right hand,
And the sun shall not smite me by day
Nor the moon by night.
Blessed is the man who loves the Lord,
Lauda, Lauda, Laudē,
And walks in His ways.
Lauda, Lauda, Laudē,
Lauda, Lauda di da di day.
All of my days.

CREDITS
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Robert Mollicone, piano
recorded LIVE at San Francisco Performances, January 28, 2016 (Salons at the Hotel Rex)

Executive Producers: Nicholas Phan, Philip Wilder

Sound:
Producer / Recording Engineer: Lolly Lewis
Recording assistant: Emma Logan
Mastering / Mixing: Piper Payne, Coast Mastering

Video:
Cinematography: Catharine Axley, Kristine Stolakis
Editor: Catharine Axley