Watch: Suburban filmmakers created a piece of inaugural history
A pair of up-and-coming filmmakers from the suburbs landed a last-minute gig of a lifetime: the chance to film a musical performance to be featured as part of Wednesday's inaugural events.
Jason Polevoi of Buffalo Grove and Teddy Wachholz of Arlington Heights, and their company, One City Films, were selected to film Irish violinist Patricia Treacy in the iconic Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago.
"Patricia was scheduled to perform in-person at Joe Biden's inauguration Mass, but due to security concerns after the events at the Capitol building, her performance was changed to remote," said Polevoi, who attended Stevenson High School and directed the shoot.
Polevoi and Wachholz say there is still a chance Treacy could perform in person at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C., if security measures permit. In that case, their video would be shared on their Chicago-based company's website.
"But we're hoping (our video) runs," said Wachholz, a Rolling Meadows High School graduate. "It would be surreal."
According to the young filmmakers, Treacy had been personally invited by the Biden family to perform during the inauguration. Treacy hails from the same county in Ireland as Biden's ancestral home, County Louth, and has performed for the family on multiple occasions, both in Washington, D.C. and during Biden's trip to Ireland in 2016.
The selected piece, called "The Proclamation," was composed by Patrick Cassidy in 2016, for the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in Ireland. For the performance, Treacy played a 315-year-old Stradivarius violin on loan for the occasion.
"It's a hauntingly beautiful piece of music," Wachholz said. "It seems to fit the occasion. It's stoic, but it's about closing the chapter and moving forward. It's a musical note for the transfer of power."
The shoot came about literally overnight, as inauguration staff members began adapting events after the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. All of a sudden, Treacy needed a venue and video producers on very short notice, Polevoi said.
Enter Bob Teitel, the executive producer of the young film company's new feature documentary, "A Tiny Ripple of Hope." Teitel, a friend of Treacy's boyfriend, Mark O'Malley, called Polevoi about the opportunity Thursday night.
A walk-through of the church with Treacy followed on Friday. They filmed for three hours on Saturday and edited on Sunday.
During the shoot, Treacy asked if they could also film her performing one of Biden's favorite hymns, "On Eagles' Wings," which they did.
"I'm not sure if it will be featured during the Mass," Wachholz said. "It was my understanding it was a personal gift to the Bidens from Patricia."
Wachholz said he nearly lost focus during the shoot as he got swept up in the music. Polevoi also tried to balance his impressions of the historic church when he edited the video.
"I wanted to highlight the majesty of the space and let Patricia's playing sweep you up in the moment," Polevoi said. "There was also the actual violin Patricia performed with ... It truly would have been a disservice to treat it as just another musical instrument."
The young filmmakers, both graduates of Colombia College in Chicago, say they were happy to be part of the project, whether Treacy performs in person or virtually through their video.
"Either way, we were proud to be a part of it," Wachholz says. "We know the Bidens will ultimately see it."