Bob Chilcott was a founding member of The King’s Singers, a famous, all-male, British vocal ensemble known for their exquisite sound and immaculate vocal refinement. I’ve heard them sing on several occasions and have always been wowed by their blend, tone, and artistic sensitivity. In my days at The University of Kansas, I had the great privilege of working with Simon Carrington, the choral director at KU at the time. He had retired from the King’s Singers when I worked with him. He was also a co-founding member of the group which began in 1968. That’s when I began learning of all the wonderful arrangements of Bob Chilcott, who did most of the arrangements for the King’s Singers in those early days.

The King’s Singers was started as a group of guys who just wanted to sing. It had what you would call humble beginnings, an innocent vision. They simply looked forward to making music with others, who shared a similar passion for precision and blend. What a neat thing, to have a simple, humble vision that is born out of pure enthusiasm.

The choir loves this arrangement. A few years ago, we did another of Bob’s arrangements, “O Danny Boy” on a spring concert. It was a big hit. When you hear this today, you’ll hear that Mr. Chilcott has a knack for it, an enthusiasm that seems to lead. He’s not a one-hit wonder, his music is awash in wonder itself. Can you hear the freshness of it? It’ll give you chills.

That’s what vision does. It gives us chills. It keeps us wondering. What would happen if I just reached out to a few friends and shared my vision? You’d get the King’s Singers, of course, and you’d travel the world. Simon told me of meeting Princess Diana, Elton John, and the whole crew. How did that happen? Somebody had a vision, fueled by simple love.

Be Thou My Vision is a traditional Irish hymn. I love the verse, “Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise;” That’s what a true visionary sees – love. They see love in what they do, and it catches fire. They lead with childlikeness. They simply allow the spirit to move through them and try out ideas and see how effortlessly things come together.

In a conversation with Simon years ago, I asked him how much the King’s Singers rehearsed for their performances and recordings. I mean, one would think they spent hours together slaving on the refinement to make something so clean come together. To my shock, he said they would seldom rehearse and simply “put it together” before recording sessions, etc. They kept it simple, in a manner of speaking.

The work was done individually. Each member came prepared. They knew what they were doing. You bring people together that share your vision, and the effort disappears. Love binds it together with ease. And to those who think it’s “a lot of work,” they are shocked. The misunderstanding is that circumstances make us enthusiastic. But a visionary knows enthusiasm makes the circumstance. It’s a simple vision, fueled by love. The message can’t be easier, but we simply don’t always get it. It’s an inwardness, fueled by love, that makes spin-tingling results, and it’s easy if you’re a visionary. Soli Deo Gloria!