Catalog

Tenor Jos Milton comments that "This program is an artistic tribute to the human connection to the earth. I searched for planet-centered texts that bring focus to the grandeur of our world, transmitted through contemporary art song." Composers include Robert Owens (1925-2017); Ned Rorem (b. 1923); Zachary Wadsworth (b. 1983); Srul Irving Glick (1934-2002); and Libby Larsen (b. 1950). Jos Milton maintains a robust performance schedule, spanning a vast array of repertoire and musical styles. A graduate of Trinity University, the University of Massachusetts, and the Peabody Institute, Milton is on the faculty at the University of Mississippi. His collaborator, pianist Melinda Coffey Armstead has performed as recitalist and chamber musician in the U.S., Canada, England, France, Israel, and Japan.

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.

Vignettes is a collection of works for solo trumpet, trumpet and piano, trumpet, trombone and piano, brass trio, brass quartet, brass quintet, and trumpet ensemble. Many of the pieces on this recording are world premieres and several were commissioned specifically for this cd. As trumpet player Eric Siereveld says, "The direct intention of this music is to draw the listener into short, but specific musical sketches that bring forth in the imagination, places or people previously lost to memory." A native of Cincinnati, Eric Siereveld attended Morehead State University Indiana University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has worked as a freelance musician in New York; directed the Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is now on the faculty of the University of Louisiana Monroe. He performs with several brass ensembles and the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra.

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.

Composer/pianist Allen Shawn began the improvisations on this recording during the height of the pandemic, recording and sending them to his son in Los Angeles. None of the pieces were planned. Some were recorded on his phone; some on a zoom recorder — yet taken as an entire sequence, the nineteen pieces cohere like a notated piece. This recording therefore should be received in the spirit of those old recordings created from tape recordings of musicians done in someone's living room, and never intended to be made into a record. It is an artist's sketchbook, not a finished painting, but nonetheless possibly deserving consideration in its own right.

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.

Lucas Richman has always considered the piano an integral part of his life. He considers his music for solo piano a creative extension of himself as an individual. The works here are piano adaptations of orchestral or chamber works but they all share the common genesis point of having evolved from sketches made originally at the piano. In addition to composing, Richman is a noted conductor and currently serves as music director of the Bangor Symphony and was formerly music director of the Knoxville Symphony. His music has been performed by more than 200 orchestras across the U.S. and he has received numerous commissions from orchestras and chamber ensembles. Pianist Vijay Venkatesh has been recognized on three continents as a pianist with profound musicianship and has been a top prizewinner in numerous competitions He is a graduate of the Colburn School, USC Thornton, and Indiana University.

This recording of hybrid vocal selections highlights the works of seven prominent 21st century composers who blur the lines between opera, classical art song, and other musical genres. This is music that is as appropriate to major concert halls as it is to nontraditional spaces. Sequina DuBose is a stunning performer most noted for her engaging stage presence — whether performing operatic roles, or as soprano soloist in Wynton Marsalis' work, All Rise. She has toured internationally as a soloist with The American Spiritual Ensemble and with Damien Sneed and Chorale Le Chateau. Dr. DuBose is on the faculty at UNC Charlotte. She is joined by pianist Gregory Thompson, known for his work as a solo and collaborative artist in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

Bach to Black: Suites for Piano, Vol. II represents pianist Rochelle Sennet’s continued interest in performing suites and multi-movement works by Black composers in combination with works by Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition to works by Ulysses Kay, Harry Thacker Burleigh, and George Walker, this 3-cd volume contains works by three Black women composers: Florence Price; Montague Ring; and Joyce Solomon Moorman. Dr. Rochelle Sennet has established herself as a well-known performer, teacher, and scholar. She studied at the San Francisco Conservatory, the University of Michigan, Texas Christian University and the University of Illinois, where she currently serves on the faculty. A prize-winner of numerous competitions, she has appeared as a recitalist at concert halls across the U.S., as a soloist with ensembles and orchestras, and has presented frequent guest lectures, masterclasses, and clinics.

The Augusta Symphony, conducted by Dirk Meyer performs five works by Miguel del Aguila. Del Aguila's music exudes an exuberance that immediately grabs the ear upon first listening. Infectious Latin rhythms add a propulsive drive, while lush melodies are instantly memorable. Three-time Grammy nominated American composer Miguel del Aguila was born in Uruguay and has more than 130 compositions to his credit. There are more than 50 of his works that have been recorded. The Augusta Symphony is the premier professional orchestra for Augusta's River Region in Georgia and South Carolina. Led by German conductor Dirk Meyer, the orchestra presents classical, pops, and family concerts. Violinist Guillermo Figueroa is one of the most versatile and respected musical artists of his generation, renowned as a conductor, soloist, and concertmaster.

Composer Matt Cataldi first conceived of these 24 Preludes as live improvisations. Teaching during COVID, he used the Op. 28 Preludes as the basis for a class on improvisation. In the weeks that followed he decided to formally plan a composition and over the next two years, he arranged and recorded them. His goal was to create unique and innovative pieces that would stand on their own while still being related and inspired by Chopin's Preludes. Dr. Matthew Cataldi enjoys a versatile career as a soloist, collaborative artist, conductor, composer, and educator. He studied at Florida State University as well as Indiana University. He currently is on the faculty at Radford University, where he is the director of piano studies.

The Albany Symphony, conducted by David Alan Miller, performs two world premiere recordings of works by the distinguished and original composer, David Del Tredici. Pop-Pourri is the very first piece in Del Tredici's legendary "Alice" series and is scored for orchestra, soprano, rock band, and chorus. Adventures in Wonderland includes The Pool of Tears and The Mouse's Tale, which are connected with narration, sketching the events occurring in between. Hila Plitman, the soprano soloist is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and actress. The Albany Symphony is legendary for its commitment to American music. Conductor David Alan Miller is one of the leading American conductors of his generation. He and the Albany Symphony are the recipients of two Grammy awards.

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.

Influenced by Bach's magisterial Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, composer Larry Bell's 24 Preludes and Fugues actually began as another work and it wasn't until he wrote a Prelude and Fugue in F Major for piano that he decided to complete the remaining preludes and fugues. Bell wrote the fugues first with their preludes being fashioned out of motives derived from the fugue's subject. Each is self-contained and designed to culminate in one large narrative that the listener may experience without knowing any of the specialized techniques of its composition. Larry Bell is an award-winning composer with the Rome Prize and the Charles Ives Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters to his credit, among many orders. His music has been commissioned and performed by a distinguished array of performers, chamber ensembles, and orchestras. The 24 Preludes and Fugues are performed by four outstanding pianists — Carmen Rodríguez-Peralta, Maja Tremiszewska, Jennifer Elowsky-Fox, and John McDonald — all of whom enjoy noted careers as recitalists and chamber musicians.

Hailed by Chamber Music America as an ensemble which “approaches the commissioning and performing of new works as a special mission,” the Ancia Quartet (Matthew Sintchak, David Milne, Joan Hutton, Angela Wyatt) has been dedicated to expanding the saxophone repertoire for more than 30 years. Ancia has been the recipient of numerous national, regional, and local grants and awards, and has collaborated with composers through Society of Composers, Meet the Composer, American Composers Forum, and THE Commission Project. Individual Ancia members enjoy careers as soloists, chamber musicians, and professional saxophonists in a broad range of musical genres. This recording showcases their virtuosity with works by Astor Piazzolla, Libby Larsen, Chris Rutowski, Ramon Ricker, and Jerry Dodgion.

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.

In the midst of the global strife caused by COVID, the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, and the erosion of civil liberties around the world, we have felt an overwhelming need to shout. The music on this recording is centered around the need to shout; shout in frustration over the loss of individual freedoms or the overwhelming desire to shout for joy. The music reflects this very human need. While Olin Hannum's work is a piece written to reflect the dual characters of devastation and solemnity, built on turbulence and instability from the opening figures to the final note, the central driving force of Maslanka's work is the impulse to shout for the joy of life. The Oregon State University Wind Ensemble explores new literature as well as performing the masterworks of the wind ensemble genre. They have commissioned 11 composers and their reputation for excellence is acknowledged by the wind ensemble community. Conductor Erik Leung is a native of Canada. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Calgary.

With this recording, the Carolina Trombone Project — an ensemble of professional trombonists from North and South Carolina — adds to the growing repertoire for trombone ensemble with six new works commissioned through a nationwide consortium. Ranging from five to eight players, the programmatic works are as versatile as they are accessible. Composers include Andrew Markel, Christopher Even Hass, Gina Gillie, Christopher Sharpe, Gary Kulesha, and David F. Wilborn. Performers include Jeremy Marks, Scott P. Hartman, Zsolt Szabo, Tom Burge, Eric Henson, Mark Whitfield, Joseph Brown, and Justin Isenhour.

Remember is a collection of Romantic American choral music devoted to loss, commemoration, and consolation. Several of the musical works were written at the conclusion of World War I or to mark the tenth anniversary of the armistice. Much of the music has remained unperformed — even unknown — since it was written. Composers include George Whitefield Chadwick, George Whiting, Charles Martin Loeffler, Marian Bauer, Edith Lang, Dudley Buck, and J.C.D. Parker. Led by David P. DeVenney, the West Chester Concert Choir performs music of all styles and epochs. They have performed nationally and internationally and has recorded seven commercial CDs. DeVenney, who studied at Iowa State, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, is on the faculty at West Chester University. He has made substantive contributions to scholarship in American choral music through his 16 books and dozens of articles. He was the guiding editor for choral music for the new Grove Dictionary of American Music, second edition.

This recording is taken from live performances of the distinguished Sinfonietta of Riverdale and includes works by American composers Karel Husa and Steven Stucky as well as works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Edward Elgar, and Anton Bruckner. Large enough to perform chamber symphonies, it is also small enough that each of its world class musicians is a featured soloist. Their recordings are on the Arabesque and Albany labels. Conductor Mark Mandarano enjoys an international career as a conductor that has included performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and other major venues in the U.S. and abroad. He has served as principal guest conductor of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and is now director of the Macalester Symphony Orchestra and artistic director of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies.

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.

Ms Butterfly is a futuristic electro-acoustic music adaptation of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, conceived, produced and directed by Dennis K. Law with music supervision by Zhou Jiaojiao; electronic organ orchestration by Wu Danxia; and analog synthesizer programming by David Wohl. Set in 2036, this blu-ray video of the adaptation of Madame Butterly has lavish sets, costumes, and sound taken from performances at the Denver International Festival of the Arts and Technology.

With the release of this 3-CD set, Marc Peloquin has now recorded the complete piano music of David Del Tredici. The first volume was released on Naxos. The collaboration and friendship between Peloquin and Del Tredici goes back two decades and has proven fruitful for both composer and performer. David Del Tredici, known as the founder of Neo-Romanticism, is one of America's most distinguished and honored composers. Del Tredici has been on the faculties of Harvard and Boston University and was Distinguished Professor of Music at The City College of New York for more than 25 years. Marc Peloquin, known for his advocacy of new music, has recordings on CRI, Naxos, Urtext, and Albany Records. He is on the faculty at the Bloomingdale School of Music and formerly taught at the New School University. He is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music and Boston University.

Since the Renaissance, keyboard composers have used the titles Fantasia and Fantasy to designate a work that has a relatively free form, where they could allow their imaginations to take flight without the necessity of being restricted to previously existing models. Similar in providing a vehicle for a free approach to form and imaginative exploration, the term Rhapsody also traditionally suggests an epic quality. Pianist Geoffrey Duce has chosen a program of both these forms for this recording with works spanning the Baroque to the 20th Century. Known as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber music collaborator, Duce has performed in major venues in the U.S. and Europe such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, and the Wigmore Hall. His awards include the Making Music Award from Britain's National Federation of Music Societies and the Prix de Piano at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau. Duce studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester University, Universität der Künste Berlin, and the Manhattan School of Music. He is currently on the faculty at Illinois State University, has served as a resident international visiting faculty member at the University of Taipei, and has given masterclasses around the world.

Violinist Timothy Schwarz conceived of this recording as an exploration of works by living American composers who are writing in a wide range of musical styles. Some are heavily influenced by older composers; others are writing in a musical tradition they were not born into, exploring these ideas from the view of an outsider; and still others are taking well established genres and writing in a way that bridges them with the world of classical music. The works on this recording are beautiful, painful, though-provoking, and fun. Violinist Timothy Schwarz has enjoyed a brilliant career as a soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. He served as an Artistic Ambassador for the United States from 1996-2001, bringing American music throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. He is currently on the faculty at Rowan University and a visiting professor at the London College of Music. He is joined on this recording by a stellar group of musicians including Charles Abramovic, Douglas Mapp, and Doug Hirlinger.

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.

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.

Thai composer Dr. Narong Prangcharoen’s success as a composer was confirmed by his receiving the prestigious Charles Ives Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Barlow Prize. He enjoys an international reputation and is recognized as one of Asia’s leading composers. His music has been performed worldwide by many renowned orchestras and new music ensembles. He was composer-in-residence of the Pacific Symphony and is now composer-in residence of the Thailand Philharmonic and Artistic Director of the Thailand International Composition Festival. This recording, his third for Albany Records, features seven of his orchestral works.

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.

Composer James Adler calls this recording a celebration — a celebration of his love for composing musical theater and art songs. Performed by a stellar group of singers from both the musical theater and classical art song world, the songs underscore Adler's affinity for putting the spoken word to music. Known as a renowned pianist as well as a composer, Adler has performed across the U.S. as well as internationally. Sung by cabaret singer Shana Farr, Broadway stars Michael Buchanan, Kennedy Kanagawa, and Perry Sook, Metropolitan Opera star Victoria Livengood, and classically trained Elizaveta Ulakhovich, this stellar group brings these songs to life.