The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and two-time Tony Winner and NYCLU Artist Ambassador Shaina Taub (Suffs, Ragtime) released a newly-arranged single and music video for Taub’s song “Huddled Masses.” The NYCLU, Taub, and artists came together to record the new rendition to honor immigrant communities and to urge policymakers to protect New York immigrants by passing the New York for All Act. Watch the video here!
The single features an inspired new arrangement by Allen René Louis and Ghreg Louis. It showcases Tony-nominated soloist Jenn Colella (Come from Away, Suffs), soloist Alex Joseph Grayson (Parade, The Outsiders), and members from the Grammy-nominated Broadway Inspirational Voices.
“I wrote this song back in 2017, inspired by the Emma Lazarus poem on the Statue of Liberty,” said NYCLU Artist Ambassador and ‘Huddled Masses’ composer Shaina Taub. “I strove to make it a gentle anthem to remind us that welcoming in the stranger is a value we share across faiths – and a value that is supposed to be foundational to our country. I hope hearing Allen Rene and Ghreg Louis’ gorgeous new arrangement of it, performed by all these magnificent singers, inspires us to ask ourselves what more we can do to support our immigrant neighbors, especially here in New York.”
The song includes the Emma Lazarus sonnet ‘The New Colossus’ which is inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty to honor American immigrants. It reads in part, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
The music video for “Huddled Masses” was directed by Jessica Sanders at Altina Films, music directed and orchestrated by Kareem Matcham and Ghreg Louis and executive produced by Ari Conte for the New York Civil Liberties Union. Taub is also releasing the single on digital and streaming platforms, with proceeds benefiting the work of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
