The Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago closed out its 2014-15 season this month, and with it, my second season shooting for them. Through terrific recital programming, a series of master classes, and expert coachings, CAIC has added a vibrant art-song presence to Chicago's music scene, and I've been happy to see its audience grow at each event. Congratulations to my friends at CAIC on another wonderful season - I was happy to see it all, once again, through the camera.

Joshua Hopkins, Kelley O'Connor, Susanna Phillips, Nicholas Phan at Poetry Foundation

Michelle DeYoung and Kevin Murphy at Harold Washington Library

J'nai Bridges at Dixon Stein

John Brancy and Peter Dugan at Logan Center

Maureen Zoltek at Dixon Stein

J'nai Bridges at Dixon Stein

John Brancy and Peter Dugan at Logan Center

Dr. Timothy Cheek coaches Czech singing

Martin Katz coaches French music

Bridget Skaggs performs in a master class

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A year ago, the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago (CAIC) became my first official photography client. Last week, I marked that anniversary by once again shooting CAIC's annual Collaborative Works Festival. The four-day festival opened at the Poetry Foundation with a quartet of wonderful singers - Joshua Hopkins, Susanna Phillips, Kelley O'Connor, and CAIC's Artistic Director Nicholas Phan - in music by Robert and Clara Schumann. Pianist and accompanist Myra Huang opened the concert with Bach's Prelude and Fugue in G Major. It was an honor to photograph these artists, and a pleasure to hear them perform in such an intimate venue. As a bonus, my photo accompanied Andrew Patner's review in the Sun-Times. Here is a small gallery from the concert: