{program_image_alt Concert

Restless Longing: Songs of Friendship

Friday, March 4 7:00-8:00 pm CST (Doors open at 6:30) Buy Tickets $45 General Public || $40 for members

Inspired by the bonds of friendship that led to Johannes Brahms’ 1884 Op. 91, Zwei Gesänge für eine Altstimme mit Bratsche und Klavier (Two songs for an alto voice with viola and piano), this recital performance marks the return of the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago (CAIC) to the intimate ballroom of the Nickerson Mansion. Brahms composed Op. 91 for his dear friends and fellow musicians, the contralto Amalie Joachim and her husband, violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim.

This evening’s performance features contralto Sara Couden who also curated the program as a “kaleidoscopic perspectives on Brahms’ viola songs.” As she explains, “The program is a series of darts into the content of the Brahms songs from various perspectives. For instance, I’ve commissioned composer Jonathan Woody to write a piece inspired by Purcell’s Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation, because I feel there is a deep content link between that song and Brahms’ second viola song.”

In addition to this new work by Woody, the program includes songs by Clara Schumann and Petr Eben’s Loveless Songs for Voice and Viola. Couden will be joined by pianist and CAIC co-founder Shannon McGinnis and violist Anthony Devroye.

Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago works to make Chicago a world home for the study and performance of art song and vocal chamber music. In pursuit of its mission,
CAIC presents performance and educational events, including the annual Collaborative Works Festival, the Lieder Lounge recital series, master classes and educational workshops. Since its founding in 2010 by pianists Shannon McGinnis and Nicholas Hutchinson, and tenor Nicholas Phan, CAIC has presented many of the world’s leading proponents for the art song and vocal chamber music repertoire.

Sara Couden is a recent graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program.