Description
Like everyone else, the COVID-19 pandemic had profound effects on The Capital Hearings as an ensemble, and on each of us individually. The common rituals and shared companionship of rehearsal nights were quickly replaced by Zoom gatherings. We also all watched from our homes as the greatest political and social unrest in the United States in decades made the world feel like it was coming apart at the seams.
Yet it also helped make us even stronger. Although we couldn’t make music together in quite the same way, the pandemic forced us to stop and explore other aspects of our identity, and of the creative process. We worked with Raise Your Voice Labs to learn more about ourselves as people and as an ensemble, which ultimately led to a collaborative songwriting process. Using an online recording tool (Soundtrap), we shared musical ideas with each other and allowed lyrical ideas to give voice to our feelings, shape the music, and vice versa. As the summer of 2020 turned to fall, And the Phoenix gradually took shape as a collective work that each of us had a stake in creating.
We used Jamulus to rehearse, gradually helping bring our new creation to life. Each of our singers then learned how to record parts on our own, setting up mini-“studios” in living rooms, closets, or anywhere else. Finally, we filmed a video (using appropriate safety protocols) to add a visual dimension.
And the Phoenix was a nearly year-long effort to stretch ourselves and experiment artistically. But it also helped us make sense of the pandemic and a world turned upside down, while keeping us together and ultimately moving us forward. We hope you enjoy it.
Lyrics
Lyrics by The Capital Hearings
Some seeds only grow after a fire
They push roots down into charred earth
And grow up green, against the orange sky
Seeking a new and fresh rebirth
As the forest burns and the phoenix rises
Casting eyes to stars above
There is no perfection in connection
Still she cries for fading love
Leave behind your shaded fields of idyll
Step into the haze
What you lose, you mourn but not regret
Journey to the lengthening days
Though the path was never straight
The way was never lost
There is no perfection in direction
We forge onward on and on
From the acorn to the sapling
To the tall and steady tree
Life remains inside the forest
Every version is complete
Even ‘mid the deepest winter
Or in the darkest night
Stirring from the glowing embers
You were still the source of light
As the forest burns and the phoenix rises
Watch her pierce the morning sky
There is no perfection in connection
But as one we still will rise
Credits
And the Phoenix
Music and Lyrics by The Capital Hearings.
Collaborative composition facilitated by Micah Hendler and Austin Willacy of Raise Your Voice Labs.
Singers: Soprano: Regina Burgher, Heather MacDonald, Berkeley Joy Mashburn; Alto: Jaime Alvis, Sonya Bessalel, Lyndsey Gore, Leila Schochet; Tenor: Micah Hendler, Johnathon O’Neal, Sam Scarrow, Dileep Srihari; Bass: Trey Harris, Ryan McCarty, Mike Rowan.
VIDEO
Directed and edited by Lance Dagenhardt.
Produced by Regina Burgher, Lance Dagenhardt, and Lyndsey Gore.
Cinematography by Miranda Bogen, Lance Dagenhardt, and Trey Harris.
Creative Commons Footage Attribution (CC BY 3.0 License)
“COVID-19 Simulation when will the United States hospitals be full” by Manuel Blechschmidt
“Hospital Free Stock Footage” by Free Stocks
“OB Tour – Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington VA” by Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington VA
“…Riot – Capital Chaos Compilation” by asymm3tric
“New Parler Video Shows Tense Confrontation Between Rioters and Capitol Policy Officer Eugene Goodman” by ProPublica
“Power is On, Wildfires Under Control, Always be Ready to Evacuate” by Cal OES
“GEORGE FLOYD MARCH IN LONDON [FULL DAY] – Black Lives Matter PROTEST” by CLUBJERSEY LABEL
The Capital Hearings logo by Nello DeBlasio and Trey Harris.
AUDIO
Produced by Trey Harris.
Directed by Dileep Srihari.
Recorded individually by The Capital Hearings using Soundtrap.
Edited, mixed, and mastered by Trey Harris for treymix studios.
SPECIAL THANKS
U.S. National Arboretum
Rock Creek Park
℗ and © 2021 by The Capital Hearings®. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
