Catalog

Baritone Randall Scarlata and pianist Laura Ward pored over dozens of scores in planning this recording. Central to their project was a focus on American composers, and they wanted a personal connection with both the texts and their musical interpretations. Two cycles kept rising to the top: Benjamin Boyle's Le passage des rêves, and Robert Maggio's Forgiving Our Fathers. While the styles of these two compositions were markedly different, the performers were drawn to the gift for narrative the works share and their color palettes that evoke other times and places. The other works, by Charles Ives, Samuel Barber, and Elliott Carter, were chosen to complement these two cycles. Known for his versatility and consummate musicianship, Randall Scarlata's repertoire spans five centuries and 16 languages. A sought-after interpreter of new music, he has given world premieres of works by many well-known composers including George Crumb, Ned Rorem, Lori Laitman, and Samuel Adler, among many others. His extensive discography includes recordings on the Chandos, Naxos, CRI, Gasparo, Arabesque, Bridge, Albany, and Sono Luminus labels. Pianist Laura Ward is Artistic Director of Lyric Fest, a unique vocal recital series in Philadelphia. As a distinguished collaborative pianist she is known for both her technical ability and vast knowledge of repertoire and styles.

Supremely lyrical, the vocal compositions of Michael Rickelton flow organically in careful counterpoint with the texts upon which they are based. The three cycles featured on this disc generate the emotion, tone, and discourse that make each work unique, calling to mind the tradition of Lieder and art song. An experienced composer of solo, chamber, and orchestral works, Michael Rickelton has a particularaly strong and critically acclaimed affinity for the voice as this recording so beautifully demonstrates. Rickelton studied at Lipscomb University, the École Normale de Musique, and Peabody Conservatory. He is on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory, the Johns Hopkins University, and Towson University.

The esteemed Mexican/American composer Daniel Catán (1949-2011) is best known for his opera Florencia en el Amazonas, which was premiered by the Houston Grand Opera in 1996. His first opera, Rappaccini's Daughter, was the first opera by a Mexican composer to be premiered in the United States. Catán enjoyed an international career and is probably best known for his operas and works for voice, for which he had a special affinity. This recording includes one of the arias from Florencia as well as a work for flute and harp; the Antonieta Songs, and Mariposa de Obsidiana, a work for voice, orchestra and chorus, based on a prose-poem by Octavio Paz. The performers include Cynthia Clayton, who has performed with the New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Ft. Worth Opera and many others. She is on the faculty at the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. Clayton is joined by Mexican mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte; flutist Salpy Kerkonian; harpist Andre Puente- Catán; baritone Hector Vásquez and the Texas Music Festival Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Franz Anton Krager.

Tom Cipullo comments that the works on this recording -- all world premieres -- span a decade-and-a-half of his compositional life. The earliest (The Husbands) dates from 1993 and the most recent (Of a Certain Age and Insomnia) were written in 2009. Cipullo's "dream team" of interpreters includes soprano Laura Strickling, pianist Liza Stepanova, mezzo-sopranos Jennifer Beattie and Naomi Louisa O'Connell, baritones Steven Eddy and Michael Anthony McGee, tenor Ian McEuen and pianist Brent Funderburk. Known mostly for his vocal music, Cipullo has also composed orchestral, chamber, and solo instrumental works. His opera, Glory Denied, has been performed to critical acclaim in New York, Washington, and Texas.

Baritone Bradley Robinson explains what moved him to pursue this recording: "Many know of Ives the musical experimenter, life insurance revolutionist and, at times, the short-tempered eccentric. But there was so much more to the man: Ives the Devoted Son, Loving Husband, Adoring Father, Charity Volunteer, Philosopher, Social Activist, Man of Great Spiritual Convictions, Musical Jokester, Publicity-shunning Philanthropist; and the list goes on. " Robinson invites us to get to know Ives better by seeing how deeply the manner in which he expressed himself musically was influenced by factors which included events he personally experienced, his attitudes towards everyday things, philosophic and/or religious beliefs, and wonderful sense of humor. Bradley Robinson has performed opera, oratorio, and musical theatre throughout the United States to critical acclaim and is on the faculty at the University of Mississippi. His collaborator, pianist Stacy Rodgers, also teaches at the University of Mississippi.

Composer/singer Linda Lister began her compositional career at age 15 writing a new musical version of The Little Match Girl for the University of Utah's Young People's Theatre. Since that time she has found her own tonal, neo-Romantic voice. Her vocal writing reveals a fondness for coloratura, an element not often found in contemporary art song. Her goal is to imbue her compositions with the pathos or humor befitting the text. She enjoys the creative synergy of singing her own music and sharing it with the world. A graduate of Vassar, Eastman and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she has performed as a soloist with orchestras, with opera theatres across the country and her recordings appear on Albany and Centaur Records. She is on the faculty of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her collaborator, Canadian pianist Amanda Johnston is on the faculty at the University of Mississippi, Musiktheater Bavaria; and the Druid City Opera Workshop.

This recording features largely unknown sacred art songs from the late 19th to the late 20th century, including works by American composers Leo Sowerby and Daniel Pinkham as well as their stylistic predecessors Gabriel Fauré, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Max Reger, Louis Vierne, and Gaston Litaize. These composers' common musical vocabulary of chromatic harmony, realized through the expansive timbral palettes of the organ and voice, creates vivid musical settings of sacred poetry. Baritone Stephen Lancaster was winner of the Nico Castel International Master Singer Competition and of The American Prize for men in art song and oratorio. He has been featured in venues around the world as a recitalist, and soloist. He holds degrees from the University of Note Dame and the University of Michigan and is currently on the faculty at Notre Dame. Organist Kevin Vaughn is director of music and organist at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in South Bend, Indiana and on the faculty at Goshen College. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.

Baritone Robert Barefield's third recording for Albany Records includes four song cycles by American composers Scott Wheeler, David Conte, Larry Alan Smith, and Kendra D'Ercole. Two of the cycles, Wheeler's Light Enough and D'Ercole's Laughs & Sighs were written for Mr. Barefield. Conte's cycle of four songs was composed between 1998 and 2003; while Smith found inspiration for his cycle through a roadside marker about the poet John Burroughs. Robert Barefield has performed as soloist with organizations throughout the United States and in Europe and is noted for his championing of American composers. He is on the faculty at the Hartt School. Pianist Kelly Horsted enjoys an active career in New York City as an accompanist, music director and vocal coach and has enjoyed a long relationship with American Opera Projects.

This album of art songs seeks to center a repertoire that is often left on the margins and neglected on concert programs. The Reaction charts new territory in recording many previously unrecorded works by Black composers for the low male voice, and showcases a wide range of languages and styles that exist for this genre. Bass-baritone Carl DuPont is equally engaged in performing, teaching, and research. He has sung a wide range of roles with the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Carolina, Opera Company of Brooklyn, and Cedar Rapids Opera, among many others. DuPont is a graduate of Eastman, Indiana University and the University of Miami's Frost School of Music. He is on the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His collaborator, pianist Gregory Thompson, is on the faculty at Winston-Salem State University. He has performed as a solo and collaborative artist in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He is head of staff pianists for the University of Miami at Salzburg Summer Program.

Two performers passionate about American art song -- soprano Mary Mackenzie and pianist Heidi Louise Williams perform a program of songs by John Harbison, James Primosch, Daniel Crozier and Ned Rorem. Mary Mackenzie, who has captured the attention of audiences throughout the United States, has been described by the New York Times as "a soprano of extraordinary agility and concentration," and the Boston Globe as "sensational." She has appeared as a recitalist, a soloist with orchestras and as a chamber musician with the best known ensembles in the U.S. Her discography includes recording on the Albany and Bridge record labels. Pianist Heidi Louise Williams has appeared in solo and collaborative recitals across North America, in Europe and Asia. She has been praised by New York critic Harris Goldsmith for her "impeccable soloistic authority" and Dazzling performances." On the faculty at Florida State University College of Music, her recording for Albany Records received rave reviews from critics.

In recent years, interest in Russian composer Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951) has surged. International festivals, conferences, and competitions dedicated to Medtner have taken place in Europe and Russia, with scholars and performers devoting greater attention to his work. This recording features Medtner's songs and a work for violin and piano. His songs interweave the piano and voice to enhance the music flow and to bring out the deep poetic meaning in each piece. The pianist, Sasha Burdin, has devoted a great deal of research to the piano works of Medtner with his DMA focused on Medtner. Soprano Rachel Joselson enjoys a distinguished career as an opera singer, recitalist, and teacher. She is currently on the faculty at the University of Iowa. This is her third recording for Albany Records. Violinist Scott Conklin, also on the faculty at the University of Iowa, is known for his "brilliance of tone and charismatic delivery." A champion of new music, his discography includes two recordings for Albany Records.

Daron Hagen is an award-winning composer, librettist, stage director, conductor, collaborative pianist, and essayist. He is the recipient of the 2015 American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Academy Award for “the artist who has achieved his singular voice.” His music is performed worldwide by the most prestigious orchestras, ensembles, and soloists. This recording features three of his song cycles performed by mezzo-soprano Stephanie Weiss and pianist Christina Wright-Ivanova. Ms. Weiss, a regular guest at Deutsche Opera Berlin has performed roles ranging from Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos) to Suzuki (Madama Butterfly). Currently on the faculty at Arizona State University, Ms. Weiss studied at the New England Conservatory, Tufts University, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Mannes College of Music, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Ms. Wright-Ivanova is on the faculty at Keene State College and has performed throughout the US, Australia, the UK, Europe, Canada, China, and South America. She is a vocal coach at UMass Amherst and serves on the faculty at New England Conservatory's Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice.

Composer Kile Smith’s music is hailed by critics, performers, and audiences for its strong voice, sheer beauty, and “profoundly direct emotional appeal.” The recipient of numerous commissions, his music has performed throughout the U.S., in Europe, and the UK. Smith's very first works were art songs, and he has composed them throughout his career, having now written about 65 songs. For this recording, the performers are members of Lyric Fest, a Philadelphia based organization, whose mission is to bring people together through song and include mezzo-soprano Suzanne DuPlantis, tenor Jonas Hacker, soprano Jessica Lennick, baritone Daniel Teadt, clarinetist Doris Hall-Gulati and pianst Laura Ward, who is artistic director of Lyric Fest.

French composer and pianist Cécil Chaminade (1857-1944) wrote approximately 400 compositions, including 125 songs. Dismissed by her male colleagues, she did make a mark through her French romantic style at the turn of the century. Though she is primarily known today for her solo piano compositions and her recordings for the gramophone, this recording illuminates a facet of her much overlooked mélodie oeuvre. The songs on this disc display not only Chaminade's adroit word pianting but also her ability to spin orchestral effects through her piano writing. Soprano Sooah Park has been praised by critics for her role as Oscan in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, saying, "Sooah Park shines as Oscar, and her singing is utterly delightful." (Houston Arts Week) She has performed as a recitalist and in opera around the world including performances in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Finland, South Korea, and the United States. On the faculty at the University of Texas at Tyler, she studied at Eastman and the University of Texas at Austin. Her collaborator, pianist Sang Woo Kang is an active performer who has presented masterclasses and recitals inmore than 25 countries. He pursues his career as a solo, orchestral, and chamber music performer while teaching at Providence College and Brown University.

of death and the planets is a large song cycle by composer Jim Lahti, setting a poetry collection of the same name by John McEveety Woodruff. The work is, essentially, a 15-movement journey and over the course of approximately an hour and a half the listener will be transported through the solar system with occasional stops along the way for five departed souls with personal connections to Mr. Woodruff. Both the poems and the music are at times dramatic, poignant, sad, loving — and periodically whimsical. Passionate about music, di.vi.sion is an exciting group that seeks to move audiences. Formed in 1997 by violinist Kurt Briggs, the name is inspired by the group's flexibility to divide forces as needed and by their predisposition to commission new works using the musical form of division. Composer Jim Lahti's music has been heard in concerts in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, London, and France as well as on radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. He is the 2018 recipient of the BRIO Award for excellence in music composition from the Bronx Council on the Arts. English-German tenor Rufus Müller has an active career performing for oratorio and opera and has worked with many of the world's leading conductor. Soprano Timothy Maureen Cole is a graduate of Westminster Choir College and Ithaca College. She has extensive performance experience in classical as well as musical theater repertoire.

This recording of songs by Asian and Asian-American composers who include Ke-Chia Chen, who is on the faculty at the Curtis Institute; Taiwanese-American Chihchun Chi-sun Lee, the receipient of numerous honors and awards; Asako Hirabayashi, winner of the Alienor International Harpischord Composition Contest; Yangzhi Ma, faculty member at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing; and Chen Yi, Distinguished Professor at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. Tenor Brian Arreola is on the faculty at UNC Charlotte and has been a featured performer with opera companies around the United States. Baritone Kelvin Chan divides his time between the U.S. and the Netherlands, where he has an active career as a performer, director, theatre-maker, and singer-actor. Pianist Wei-En Hsu, a graduate of Juilliard, is now on the faculty of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

This recording emerged from a series of personal Scottish connections of tenor Justin Vickers; his Scottish heritage; his collaboration with Scottish pianist Geoffrey Duce; and his scholarly work with Jennifer Oates on the composer Hamish MacCunn. The first recording of MacCunn's Cycle of Six Love-Lyrics, is paired with a selection of his other songs, along with works by Scottish composer Judith Weir, and Britten's cycles set to the poetry of Robert Burns. Justin Vickers has a distinguished career as a recitalist, opera singer, chamber musician, and educator. He is on the faculty of Illinois State University, Normal. His collaborator Gretchen Church is on the faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington. Pianist Geoffrey Duce is on the faculty at Illinois State University.

As African Americans commemorate 400 years of Afrcans in America, the presence of the Negro Spritual remains a strong symbol and a significant tool through which Africans made their voices heard throughout these years of struggle. This CD is a compilation of many of these Spirituals, releases previously on Albany Records, which still stand strong even in today's world where in many instances it seems as if time has stood stil and the need for these precious gems still toll the bells of freedom. Bass-baritone Oral Moses performs regularly throughout the United States and Europe singing oratorio and recitals with special emphasis on a wide variety of Negro Spirituals and art song repertoire by African-American composers.

Let Evening Come: American Songs Old and New collects the songs of three American composers, stretching across time and a variety of styles. The early 20th-century pianist Frank La Forge was an accompanist to the greatest singers of his era, but also found time to write beautiful and effective art songs for his collaborators to perform in concert. Robert Spillman is a modern counterpart to La Forge, having worked for years as a pianist and opera conductor before returning to composition in retirement. His songs lie at the heart of this disc, capturing the inspiration of an intriguing group of poets. From the nature-inspired ruminations of Sara Teasdale and Jane Kenyon to the comic world of Alice N. Persons, Spillman's songs are moving, and in some cases, sly and amusing. Well-known opera and song composer Lori Laitman is represented by two stirring arias from her 2016 opera The Scarlet Letter.

With this recording, soprano Michelle Murray Fiertek presents a collection of songs lovingly grown in the American tradition, which audibly draw influence from domestic genres like folk and musical theatre. The diverse selection of poetry channels American landscapes, both great and small, and these images illustrate not only America's unique topography, but also a steadfast cultural appreciation of its singularity. Ms. Fiertek is an active performer and teacher of wide-ranging musical styles. An accomplished recitalist, Fiertek specializes in Spanish and American art song. A member of the faculty at The Hartt School and Manchester Community College, she also serves as executive director of the Hartford Opera Theater. Her collaborator, pianist Michael Korman, performs in opera productions and recitals as well as coaching classical singers and directng music at a church.

French composer Charles-Marie Widor is best known for his works for organ, but he also wrote operas, a sizable body of ballet music, and various other vocal and orchestral works. This recording highlights some of his forgotten songs, performed by soprano Rebecca Wascoe Hays, bass Allen Saunders, soprano Nicole Leupp Hanig, and pianist Susan McDaniel. Ms. Hays, who champions American composers in her performances, is on the faculty at Texas Tech University and is artistic director of Music in the Marche, an opera training program for young singers located in Mondavio, Italy. Saunders, in addition to his active performance schedule, is on the faculty at Northern Arizona University School of Music. Ms. Hanig has performed in the U.S., as well as Europe and Japan, and now is artistic director of Opera on the Bluff and on the faculty at the University of Portland. McDaniel, also on the faculty at the University of Portland, has appeared widely as a solo and collaborative pianist.

Composer and conductor Robert Pound's numerous compositions include orchestral works for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Columbus Symphony Orchestra and chamber works for ensembles including the Corigliano Quartet and Deviant Septet. A graduate of the University of North Texas and The Juilliard School, Pound was music director of the West Shore Symphony Orchestra. He is on the faculty at Dickinson College where he teaches composition and conducts the orchestra. This recording features three of his song cycles, which were commissioned in coordination with the awarding of The Stellfox Prize to the poets Maxin Kumin, Seamus Heaney, and Paul Muldoon, whose texts Pound set. Performed by tenor William Ferguson and baritone Jonathan Hays with pianist Craig Ketter, these song cycles pay magnify, reinforce and elaborate the affect of the poetry and its meaning.

Joseph Marx (1882-1964) was a bit of a musical late-bloomer. He earned a doctorate in 1909, having studied philosophy, art history, and German studies, and only later adding musicology. Castigated for his seeming cooperation with the Nazis, he also spoke out against the avant-garde, which he believed had ushered in the decay of Austrian musical culture. Among his works, there is a trove of more than 150 songs. In their time, his songs were loved and championed by famous Austrian singers but he and his music came to be largely ignored. Soprano Kendra Colton is a versatile singer who performs repertoire from Baroque opera and oratorio to contemporary music and enjoys an active performing career. Pianist Laura Ward is co-artistic director of Lyric Fest and is a distinguished collaborative pianist.

We Are, recorded by the Miami University Men's Glee Club is a continuation of their initiative to advance the male choral art through repertoire written in the 21st century. The music included on this recording, written by nearly all living composers, expresses a variety of musical offerings with a diverse palate of colors, techniques, and styles that focus on the resiliency of the human spirit. The Miami University Men's Glee Club has maintained a longstanding tradition of musical excellence and, through its artistry, passion, and relevancy, this recording is no exception. Founded in 1907, the chorus has toured 19 states and 11 countries and has appeared in concert at numerous conferences of professional choral organizations. Under the leadership of conductor Jeremy D. Jones, the group has won awards and critical acclaim, including First Place and Overall Grand Champion awards at the Concours Européen de Chant Choral in Luxembourg. This is their second recording on Albany Records.

Sheila Silver has written in a wide range of mediums, from solo instrumental to large orchestral works, from opera to feature film scores. She is the recipient of numerous awards and commissions, including an American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Composer Award, the Rome Prize, and the Prix de Paris, among many others. She is Professor Emeritas of Music at Stony Brook University. This recording features song cycles including Beauty Intolerable, based on the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay, and a cycle using fragments of texts from Sappho, along with a nocturne for solo piano. The stellar cast of performers includes Lucy Fitz Gibbon, Dawn Upshaw, Gilbert Kalish, Ryan McCullough, Stephanie Blythe, Kayo Iwama, Sidney Outlaw, Warren Jones, Deanne Meek, Christopher Cooley, Risa Renae Harman, and Timothy Long.

This recording of the art songs of Elaine Ross, set to poetry by women, seeks to broaden the interest in the compositions of living female composers. Elaine Ross is President and CEO of the newly founded Southern Atlantic Conservatory of Music, set to open in 2025. She has been on the faulty at Morgan State University, Towson University, Ohio University, and the Colburn Conservatory. Her music has been performed in France, Germany, and Israel, as well as the United States. Soprano Theresa Bickham, praised for her "fine piano nuances" and "expressive legato line" has performed around the world as an opera singer and as a recitalist. A graduate of the University of Maryland College Park, the University of Houston, and Towson University, she is on the faculty at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

This recording is of a newly composed Chinese art song cycle by two renowned Chinese cultural figures -- composer Cong Liu and poet Yujuan Li. The cycle consists of 24 songs, each representing one of the 24 solar terms. The cycle depicts the traditional Chinese solar terms and their representative agricultural folk traditions, with the short Chinese poems describing the human activities and cultural changes to the landscape through the seasons. Composer Cong Liu is on the faculty at Shenyang Conservatory of Music and is the director of multiple music institutions and symphony orchestras. His compositional style combines Western techniques with Chinese folk song elements. Poet Yujuan Li has written more than 1,000 texts in various styles and she has won more than 100 national awards. Soprano Xingyu Huo is completing her DMA at the University of Iowa. She has performed with opera companies in Italy and concertized in China, Austria, Italy, and the United States.

Adolphus Hailstork's interest in the voice dates back to childhood, when he became a member of a boys' cathedral choir in Albany, New York. This recording of his songs is the first volume of a series and includes his first set of songs, Lollipops, written in 1959. Hailstork utilizes a variety of styles in his song writing, changing style to suit the texts. Soprano Louise Toppin has received acclaim for her performances throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, South America, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean. Her discography includes 17 recordings of music by American composers. A professor of voice at the University of Michigan, Ms. Toppin is director of the George Shirley Vocal Competition and the non-profit organization, Videmus. Her collaborators include pianist John O'Brien, harpist Lydia Cleaver, double bassist Rick Robinson, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Julius P. Williams, conductor.

Born in 1895, American composer Ernest Charles became known to the public through one of his early songs that was popularized by Metropolitan Opera superstar John Charles Thomas and other songs followed that were found on voice recitals of singers like Kirsten Flagstad and Eileen Farrell. Baritone Nicholas Provenzale, a present-day champion of this composer’s songs, says that they exhibit a perfect blend of accessibility and musical interest. Provenzale enjoys an active career as a recitalist, opera singer, and educator. The recipient of numerous awards and prizes, including a Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions award, he is currently on the faculty at West Chester University. Mr. Provenzale’s collaborator on this recording is pianist Terry Klinefelter.

Don Walker's fifth release on Albany Records features songs he has written using the poetry of Anne Bradstreet, Phyllis Wheatley, Helen Hunt Jackson, Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, Harrie Alley, and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Walker taught at Sonoma State University, the University of South Florida, and Oregon State University. The music is performed by soprano Ann Moss, who is a graduate of the Longy School and the San Francisco Conservatory. An ardent advocate for contemporary music, she has been responsible for the commissioning and premieres of more than 80 art songs, vocal chamber music, and operatic roles. She is joined by pianist Karen Rosenak, a longtime member of the Empyrean Ensemble, and a founding member of the new music ensemble Earplay.

Composer Eric Schorr says that the poems he chose for the compositions on this recording were ones that immediately resonated with him emotionally and musically. The range of the poems’ styles and subject matter necessitated a varied musical vocabulary. Always lyrical, the music veers from romantic to jazz to chanson to bossa nova. Schorr expanded the palette of sound by adding a chamber sized acoustic orchestra to his original scoring for voice and piano. Schorr composes music for theater, television, and film as well as art songs. He studied at the New England Conservatory, Yale and Harvard. He is a recipient of a Japan-United State Arts Program Fellowship and Opera-Musical Theatre Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Critically acclaimed singers Eve Gigliotti, Jesse Darden, and Michael Kelly are the featured performers on this recording.

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.