Catalog

Saxophonist Allison Adams, along with collaborators Andrea Lodge and Liz Bouk, has recorded seven new works for saxophone. Adams is on the faculty at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where she shares her excitement for music with the next generation of music educators and performers. A versatile performer in addition to a pedagogue, Adams has been a featured soloist at venues across the world. A graduate of Ithaca College, the University of Minnesota, and Arizona State University, she also does research and writes about performance injuries.

This collection of recordings of works for cello and violin represents a long-time collaboration between Curtis Macomber and Norman Fischer. Their respective careers have featured countless contemporary music performances and recordings, so it was only natural that they would record these duos, composed by five renowned creators of new music. Both Macomber and Fischer have enjoyed stellar careers. Macomber is hailed as one of the most versatile solo and chamber musicians before the public today, with a discography ranging from complete Brahms String Quartets to the Roger Sessions Solo Sonata. Fischer is a Grammy-award winner and has concertized on five continents and 49 of the 50 United States.

On this recording by the Dallas Chamber Symphony, two major works by American composers offer representative views of the migrant experience. In Chasing Home, composed in 2017 by Joseph Thalken, conversations with refugees from around the world inspired dance scenes based on the plight of migrants fleeing the Syrian Civil War. Appalachian Spring is a ballet about pioneers in Pennsylvania in that time when opportunity and open space drew Americans ever farther west. The Dallas Chamber Symphony, led by Richard McKay, was founded in 2011 and is renowned for its musical excellence, imaginatively curated concerts and groundbreaking multidisciplinary collaborations.

Composer Jeremy Haladyna has created compositions inspired by his trips to the Mayan region and his research of more than 35 years into Precolumbian thought. His Mayan Cycle now stretches to 37 pieces, some of which are heard on this recording A laureate of the Lili Boulanger Prize, he taught at the University of California Santa Barbara for 29 years and was director of their Ensemble for Contemporary Music. His music has been heard at major venues around the world and his discography includes recorded performances of him as a pianist, conductor, and organist.

This recording of music for violin by women composers comes from the first two volumes of a four-volume anthology compiled by Dr. Cora Cooper. Her intention is to offer an easily obtainable collection of short pieces by women that could be integrated with standard literature. This recording, then, will be a great resource for students, teachers, and performers. Canadian violinist Maureen Yuen has performed, taught, and adjudicated globally. A graduate of the University of British Columbia, and Columbia University, she is on the faculty at Drake University and enjoys an active career as a solo and chamber music performer. Her colleague, pianist Eric Ruple is on the faculty at James Madison University. An active member of the American Liszt Society, he has also been a regular adjudicator in Hong Kong.

The works heard on this recording were written by composers who are friends of both performers, Tim Gill and David Gompper. Cross-cultural connections extend beyond the two universities represented: Cambridge and Iowa. Both Richard Causton and David Gompper studied with Jeremy Dale Roberts, who taught at the Royal College of Music and at the University of Iowa. Their colleagues — Jeremy Thurlow and Darren Bloom, Jean-François Charles and Zack Stanton — are joined by Zoë Martlew, a cellist/composer who received a commission to write for this duo. The music reflects the diversity of styles being written today on both continents. Tim Gill is recognized as one of the most versatile instrumentalists of his generation, equally at home in the works of Beethoven or Xenakis. He is in demand as a soloist, chamber musician, and principal cellist, having led the cello sections of all the London orchestras. He is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music. David Gompper studied at the Royal College of Music and the University of Michigan. He is on the faculty at the University of Iowa, and directs the Center for New Music. Noted as a composer and pianist, his compositions have been performed around the world.

This recording commemorates the assassination of President John F. Kennedy through three works. The Julius Quartet, based in Dallas, still sees the remnants of the assassination and its effects throughout the city. Two of the works (One Red Rose and The Sixth Floor) were commissioned in commemoration and the third, Samuel Barber's famous Adagio, was performed on a nationally broadcast radio concert on the day after the assassination. Commended for leaving audiences "mesmerized by its resonant sounds" The Julius Quartet has cultivated a distinguished voice since its formation in 2012. They have performed all over North America and shared in numerous collaborations with celebrated artists. Winners of numerous awards, The Julius Quartet served as ensemble-in-residence at Southern Methodist University and continues an active performance schedule.

di.vi.sion is an active and driven chamber ensemble that collaborates with composers who inspire them. Drawing from its 35 musicians, they curate a chamber series in the Bronx and around the New York metropolitan area. di.vi.sion regularly premieres new works by American composers and this recording, featuring premieres by Steven Burke, is one example of their commitment to contemporary music. Originally dividing his time at university between science and music, he turned to composition and studied at Sarah Lawrence, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Yale and Cornell. He has won recognition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters as well as fellowships and prizes. His music has been performed by distinguished ensembles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, and Eastman Wind Ensemble, among many others. Performers on this recording include Renée Cometa Briggs, Matt Goeke, and Donald Mokrynski, all of whom enjoy distinguished careers.

Christopher Theofanidis’ music has been performed by many of the world’s leading performing arts organizations. He is a two-time Grammy nominee for best composition and his work for viola and chamber orchestra won the 2021 Grammy for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. He is on the faculty at Yale University and the Aspen Music Festival. Italian guitarist Nicolò Spera initiated this project of recording all of Theofanidis’ music for guitar, which includes a work for viola, guitar, and flute; a work for flute and guitar; and a large work for chorus and guitar. Spera enjoys a distinguished career as a recitalist and chamber musician. He is known for his research on the Franco-Andalusian composer Maurice Ohana. He is on the faculty of the University of Colorado Boulder. EXIGENCE is a professional vocal ensemble highlighting artistry within Black and Latinx communities. Melissa Studdard is the author of two poetry collections. Her awards include The Penn Review Poetry Prize, the Poetry Society of America’s Lucille Medwick Award, and the Tom Howard Award.

Cellist Clancy Newman has enjoyed an extraordinarily wide-ranging career, not only as a cellist, but also as a composer, producer, writer, teacher, and guest lecturer. He has performed as soloist throughout the United States, as well as in Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. Newman's interest in composition focuses on works for cello, one of which (From Method to Madness) is heard on this recording. His collaborator, pianist Natalie Zhu, is the recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, as is Newman. Zhu has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia as a soloist and chamber musician. For this recording they have chosen works for cello by Samuel Barber, Lukas Foss, and Kenji Bunch, in addition to the work by Newman. The earliest work on this recording, the Barber, was written in 1942; the Foss in 1946, while the Bunch and Newman are recent works.

With the exception of far sight sun light, the compositions on this recording of music by Ketty Nez take their inspiration from East European folk sources, including an Anatolian Turkish folk song and Bartok's transcriptions of Rumanian folk tunes. Ketty Nez is on the faculty at the Boston University School of Music and was a guest teacher at the Liszt Academy in Budapest and has had residencies at the Ecole Nationale de Musique in Montbeliard, at CCRMA, and at the Institute de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique. Her music has been performed in Europe, North America, and Asia. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, the Eastman School of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music, and Bryn Mawr College.

American composer Vivian Fine (1913-2000) wrote more than 140 works during her 70-year career, including 20 pieces that feature the flute in solo and chamber music settings. Only two of her flute works have been professionally recorded and this recording aims to fill this gap. The recording features selected chamber music for flute by Fine, which create a varied recording of beautiful and exciting works. Flutist Erin K. Murphy frequently performs with orchestras, in chamber music collaborations, and as a soloist throughout the U.S. and abroad. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Northwestern University, and the University of Michigan, she is currently on the faculty at Oklahoma State University. She is a founding member of Lakeshore Rush, A Chicago-based chamber ensemble that performs 20th and 21st century works.

Esteemed composer Bernard Hoffer's eighth recording for Albany Records features three works for piano — one with string; another with French horn and violin; and the third with two trumpets. Hoffer is known not only for his chamber and orchestral music but also for music written for films, television, and commercials. He scored the hit children's cartoon series Thundercats and the theme for the PBS News Hour. Winner of the First Prize at the New York International Artists Association Piano Competition and the Silver Award at the Paris International Competition, pianist Kayoung An made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2013. She has performed with orchestras both in the United States and abroad. On the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, Ms. An studied at the Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, Colburn Conservatory, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Her collaborators include conductor David Gilbert, violinist Kurt Nikkanen, horn player Dan Wions, and Gil Hoffer and Christian Hinkle, trumpets.

Joseph Summer is familiar to audiences both as a composer and as the founder/director of The Shakespeare Concerts. Summer's oeuvre includes eight operas, chamber opera, cantatas, more than 100 vocal works, string quartets and many works for chamber ensembles. He studied at Oberlin and Carnegie Mellon University. This is the sixth recording of his music for Albany Records. The Ulysses Quartet was founded in 2015 and won a gold medal at the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and first prize in the 2018 Schoenfeld International String Competition. They have performed around the world to critical acclaim and advocate for music by underrepresented composers.

Jason Calloway of the Amernet Quartet says that "The string quartets of Steven R. Gerber represent a deeply personal testament for the composer himself while serving as a spiritual bridge to us as performers " His first three quartets span the period of 1973 to 1988 and offer a glimpse into the transitional period of his musical development. His last quartet, composed for the Amernet in 2012, shows his evolution to a unique brand of polystylism. Steven Gerber (1948-2015) held degrees from Haverford College and Princeton. His music has been performed by noted orchestras and chamber ensembles around the world and recordings of his music appear on Opus One, CRI, Naxos, and Albany Records. The Amernet Quartet has garnered international recognition as one of today's exceptional string quartets. They have performed throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Justin Hellman came back to composing classical music on his 41st birthday. He started his involvement in music as a teenager by performing electric bass and writing songs. From there he moved to studying the acoustic bass and began focusing more on jazz. His jazz quartet performed regularly in the Bay Area and one of his compositions was featured on an episode of The Good Wife. He went back to school to pursue a medical degree, training in oculoplastic surgery. Garden of the Gods is Hellman’s first classical album. The Friction Quartet is known for its commissioning of new works, curating imaginative programs, collaborating with artists, and presenting interactive educational outreach. Since their formation in 2011, Friction has given world premiere performances of more than 80 works. Their performances appear on National Sawdust Tracks, Innova, Albany, and Pinna Records.

Born in Poland, composer Jakub Polaczyk graduated from the Penderecki Music Academy, Jagiellonian University, and Carnegie Mellon. He lives in New York City and is on the faculty at the New York Conservatory of Music. His music has won numerous awards, including the American Prize in Composition, and the Iron Composer First Prize. His music has been performed around the world in concert hall and music festivals. This recording features his chamber music, most of which was composed in New York City. Union Square, the title of the recording as well as one of the compositions, is a special place to Polaczyk. He goes there for inspiration, to play chess, and enjoy the intermingling of many cultures. He often describes his compositional approach as playing a game of chess.

Robert Xavier Rodríguez’s (b. 1946) music has been described as “romantically dramatic” and glowing with a physical animation and delicate balance of moods that combine seductively with his all-encompassing sense of humor.” He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Goddard Lieberson Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, among many other prizes. He has served as composer-in-residence with the San Antonio Symphony and the Dallas Symphony. His music appears on more than 20 recordings. The music on this recording includes a song cycle for mezzo-soprano and string quartet based on poems from Albert Giraud’s Pierrot Lunaire. The second work, Romance With a Double Bass is for narrator, double bass, and piano and is based on a comic short story by Anton Chekhov. Performers include the Amernet String Quartet, mezzo-soprano Rachel Calloway, bassist Daniel Nix, pianist Mikhail Berestnev, and narrator Mary-Margaret Pyeatt.

Thoughts and Prayers is an album of tributes that draw upon composer Larry Bell's personal, social, national, and international awareness. The music is drawn from a solemn personal conviction and desire to preserve the lives of others in our memory. It is also a simple act of bearing witness to events that may be all too soon forgotten or too painful to contemplate. Bell offers four works for solo piano interspersed with two works for soprano, cello/viola, and piano. Award-winning composer Larry Bell's music has been commissioned and performed by a distinguished array of musicians, ensembles, and orchestras. He has taught at The Juilliard School, the Boston Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and the Berklee College of Music. He is joined on this recording by mezzo-soprano Jennifer Webb, cellist Sam Ou, pianist Deborah Nemko, and violist David Wallace.

Composer Allen Shawn (b. 1948) has been on the faculty at Bennington College since 1985. His works include symphonies, concertos, works for large ensemble, choral, vocal and chamber music, as well as music for piano. He is also the author of four books. His works appear on numerous recordings on Albany Records. This recording is a collection of chamber music: a work for cello; a work for double bass and piano; a suite for trumpet and bassoon; and a work for chamber ensemble.

Composer and conductor Victoria Bond is a major force in 21st century music. Known for her melodic gift and dramatic flair, her works have been performed by all the major chamber ensembles, the New York City Opera, Dallas and Shanghai Symphony Orchestras and many noted performers. She is the artistic director of Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival and has been honored with the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Walter Hinrichsen Award. This recording, her fifth for Albany Records, includes two works for baritone and piano, bookended by two works for string quartet. The illustrious Cassatt String Quartet, Michael Kelly, baritone, and Bradley Moore, piano are the performers.

The Pan Pacific Ensemble continues its series of recording works by American and Asian composers on Albany Records. This disc includes works by Naarong Prangcharoen, Kenji Bunch, Ho Kwen Austin Yip, Kee Yong Chong, David Jarvis, and Chen Yi. Musicians in the Pan Pacific Ensemble are building a bridge between China, Southeast Asia, and the Americas by introducing audiences to wind quintets from these regions. The ensemble, (Sophia Tegart (flute), Keri McCarthy (oboe), Shannon Scott (clarinet), Martin King (horn), Michael R. Garza (bassoon)) was awarded the 2022 American Prize in Professional Chamber Music. They have appeared at numerous festivals abroad, including the China-ASEAN Contemporary Music Festival and the Thailand International Composition Festival, as well as commissioning works from both Asian and American composers.

This recording marks the debut recording by Lakeshore Rush, a chamber music ensemble based in Chicago. The recording consists of beloved recordings from their concerts as well as some studio recordings. The composers represented include a vast array of styles within the contemporary chamber music genre. Eight of the composers are American; seven are living; and the works by Jonathan Hannau and Pierre Jalbert were commissioned by Lakeshore Rush. The works by Philip Glass and Bill Ryan are the ensemble's creative reinterpretations of pieces that have entered the contemporary cannon, and the Radiohead is an arrangement commissioned and performed exclusively by Lakeshore Rush.

Libby Meyer is a composer whose work reflects the natural rhythms and patterns of the world around her. Her music has been commissioned and performed throughout the United States. She has served as composer-in-residence at the Islae Royale National Park and the Visby International Center for Composers. The recipient of numerous awards including the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Composers Forum, she is on the faculty at Michigan Technological University. This recording of her music includes works for vocal ensemble as well as chamber ensembles. Performers on this recording include the Capella Clausura conducted by Amelia LeClair and the Juventas New Music Ensemble.

Flutist Don Bailey and harpist Laura Logan Brandenburg offer a charming program of music for flute and harp that includes works from the standard repertoire as well as newer works by British and American composers. Don Bailey has enjoyed a diverse career as a performer, professor, festival planner, and board member of several arts organizations. He was solo flutist for Cunard Cruise Lines and has performed at festivals in Aspen, Nice, and Spoleto, among many others. His discography includes recordings on the Summit, Genuin, Parnassus, International, and Albany Records labels. Laura Brandenburg served as harp instructor at Texas Christian University School of Music. A highly regarded freelance harpist, she enjoys a wide variety of collaborative performance opportunities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Active as a camp clinician specializing in harp ensemble repertoire, Laura presents workshops locally and nationally. The duo has been performing together since 2017 and are committed to exploring and transcribing new music for flute and harp that expands the boundaries of the repertoire while feeding the artistic soul.

Cellist Gregory Sauer and pianist Heidi Louise Williams perform a program of works for cello and piano by North and South American composers, including world premiere recordings of works by André Mehmari and Daniel Crozier. Both performers are on the faculty at Florida State University and enjoy careers as recitalists, soloists with orchestras, and chamber ensembles. Ms. Williams appears on three previous Albany Records releases, all of which have received critical acclaim. She has also recorded for Naxos, Neos, and Centaur. Sauer’s discography includes recordings with MSR and Mark Records.

Composer Barbara White discovered the shakuhachi while in college and her fascination with this instrument has continued form more than 30 years. The works on this recording are the result of a ten year collaboration with shakuhachi grand master Riley Lee. White studied the shakuhachi with Lee and has composed numerous works for him. White's music has been described as "provocative even when it speaks in undertones, creating a personal space that is as unique as it is inviting." The recipient of numerous honors and awards, she is on the music faculty at Princeton. Riley Lee began studying the shakuhachi in 1970 while living in Japan. He is the first non-Japanese to attain the rank of "grand master."

A native of Hong Kong, composer Stephen Yip now lives in the U.S. He studied at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and received his D.M.A. from Rice University. His music has been performed by noted new music ensembles in the U.S. and abroad including the New York New Music Ensemble, Little Giant Chinese Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra, and the Moscow New Music Ensemble. His discography includes recordings on the Albany, ERM-Media, Parma, Capstone, ATMA, and Beauport labels. He is on the faculty at Houston Community College. This recording of his chamber music includes performances by the [Switch~ Ensemble], the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, pianist Shelley Ng, and flutists Pei-San Chiu and Chen-Yu Wu.

This recording features treasured musical collaborators of composer Ingrid Arauco performing works from the past decade. While varied in inspiration, the works are connected, as they stem from purely musical impulses and investigations. Arauco's music is rich in the resonances of both the past and the present. Arauco's music has been performed by noted new music ensembles and featured at various music festivals, including the Havana Contemporary Music Festival. She is the recipient of numerous commissions, honors and fellowships, including residencies at Yaddo and MacDowell. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Ms. Arauco is on the faculty at Haverford College. This is her third recording for Albany Records.

Extensions of Tradition(s) is a collection of works by American composer William C. Banfield. It includes recent recordings of performances that document his current music/art aesthetic as well as an early symphonic choral work. In the past 25 years Banfield has produced a body of compositions, authored eight books, made numerous recordings, and maintained an active teaching career. He has served three times as a judge for the Pulitzer Prize in music and his music has been performed and recording by the foremost orchestras and chamber ensembles in the United States and abroad. With the compositions on this recording, Banfield has shared several of the genres that make up contemporary composition, and in his case, his music embodies the multiple styles of the American musical landscapes of modernist languages, including jazz and American song. Composer Libby Larsen says that "One of my favorite Bill Banfield quotes is "I have often felt that, with my art, I could build a room where everyone can find a friend." This is Bill Banfield.

Composer Dave Walther enjoys an equally distinguished career as a violist, including working as a studio musician in more than 500 motion pictures and soundtracks, and being the violist for The Debussy Trio, which has performed hundreds of recitals in the U.S. and abroad. As a composer he has written works for The Debussy Trio, the Christiane Trio, the Capital Trio, Catherine and Jonathan Karoly, and pianist Duncan Cumming, among others. This, his second recording on Albany Records, includes a work for violin and piano; a string quartet; a work for solo piano; and a work for flute and cello.

Doug Bielmeier creates commercial and experimental music tailored for boutique audiences and media. His music has been described as an extension of Xenakis's early tape pieces by the American Record Guide. His music has been performed internationally and broadcast on radio stations throughout the U.S. He is a champion for experimental creators and recording and has designed and managed the C.L.E.A.R. Lab at Purdue School of Engineering. A graduate of the Hartt School of Music and Bowling Green University, he is currently on the faculty at Northeastern University. This new recording is a travelogue of experiments in the world of electroacoustic, ambient, and experimental music. The selection of works was curated to create a cohesive and fresh statement revealing Bielmeier's process of Windowing, which refers to the manipulation of found sound files.