This is Volume 7 in Centaur's recording of the complete organ works by Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937), performed by Joby Bell. All works are recorded on classic American organs; hence the title "American Classic Widor." Most importantly, these are superlative performances of an important body of organ literature. Joby Bell brings to his performances a contagious affability and a keen sensitivity toward increasing an audience's appreciation for organ music. His recital programming demonstrates a varied and interesting repertoire, always enhanced by illuminating program notes designed to embrace all audiences. Bell is featured on several recordings. Born in 1968, Joby Bell attended high school at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied piano with Marian Hahn and Robert MacDonald. He earned the Bachelor of Music degree in organ and piano from Appalachian State University and the Master of Music and Doctor of musical Arts degrees in organ from Rice University.

Vivaldi’s Gloria is one of sacred music’s most uplifting choral works and a joyful hymn of praise with moments ranging from festive brilliance to profound sadness. Composed in Venice, probably in 1715, for the choir of the Ospedale della Pietà, its wonderfully sunny nature and distinctive melodies and rhythms give it an immediate and universal appeal. Bach was a fierce admirer of Vivaldi’s work, and his extraordinarily inventive Mass in G major complements the Gloria perfectly. The group is well-versed in this program, as they, at the time of this release, prepare for their Orchestral tour featuring Vivaldi’s Gloria and Bach’s Mass in G Major and visiting 10 towns and cities across the UK including London, Lincoln, Worcester, Chichester and Manchester.

Some enthusiasts of traditional music consider the term "modern" a pejorative. They deem this genre to be a radical departure from the past. This collection refutes that conception - it demonstrates that musical ideas, turning in time, represent a continuum over the past several centuries. Kinga Augustyn is a New York City-based virtuoso concert violinist and recording artist. Ms. Augustyn has a large repertoire of more than 40 concerti, both standard and lesser–known, that she has performed with such orchestras as the German Kammerorchester Berlin and the Wroclaw Philharmonic. Augustyn’s expanding discography on major labels such as Naxos, includes the Paganini Caprices, which music critics consider as convincing as Perlman’s or Midori’s, and an “an enduring benchmark” (Classical Net). “Stylish and vibrant” (The Strad Magazine), and “beyond amazing, one hell of a violinist!” (The Fanfare Magazine), Kinga Augustyn is often praised for her musical interpretations. Music Web International describes her recording of the Bruch Violin Concerto with Janacek Philharmonic as “extremely moving and expressive,” characterized by “beauty, richness and smoothness of her tone,” and as “music she responds to on a deeply personal and emotional level.”

This is a great collection of songs inspired by the river. The album includes traditional folk songs, works by composers such as Stephen Foster and John Jacob Niles, as well as works by Korngold, Rorem, Weill, and others. All of these are brought to the listener in beautiful performances. The American baritone, Steven Kimbrough, studied at the University of Birmingham, Alabama, and at Princeton Theological Seminary (graduated in 1962). He had further studies in Italy. Kimbrough is well known as a recital and concert singer through many appearances at New York's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and with symphonies in the USA and abroad. He is the foremost interpreter of the "turn-of-the-century" school of Viennese composers (most of whom were effaced by Hitler's Third Reich), as is demonstrated by his many highly praised recordings. He has presented in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and elsewhere a recital of their songs under the title "Forbidden Composers."

Time Flies is an album of sixteen contemporary solo harpsichord works. All of these works have been composed within the last twenty years. Harpsichordist Elaine Funaro is “regarded as one of the leading performers of new music for harpsichord” (Classical Music: The Essential Listening Companion). She is a popular presence at contemporary and early music festivals around the world, and was the first, now past, president of the newly merged Historical Keyboard Society of North America, and is currently the Artistic Director of Aliénor, the American-based international competition for new harpsichord music. Elaine Funaro performs on a custom-made contemporary harpsichord, the Kingston Opus #333, which is decorated throughout by original artwork from North Carolina artist Lisa Creed.

This is a program of 20th Century trumpet music by some of the greatest composers of the first half of the 20th Century. Roderick MacDonald, trumpet, and Mikyung Kim, piano, bring these great works fully to life in mesmerizing performances. Roderick MacDonald was born outside Providence, Rhode Island. Since 2014 he has served as Music Director of the New England Symphony Orchestra, and is an Associate Professor of Music at the State University of New York in Fredonia. Pianist Mikyung Kim has performed across the globe as a collaborative pianist and soloist. An advocate for music in higher education, she has also held faculty positions at New York University, Montclair State University, and Concordia University in Austin (also as adjunct violin professor).

Saxophonist Ethan Miller hails from Buffalo, New York, and is quickly rising as one of our generation’s most sought after saxophone players. In addition to performing in Duende, he is also a member of the Cleveland Saxophone Quartet, Trio Diverso, and the Ethan Miller Jazztet. ClevelandClassical.com hails guitarist Krystin O’Mara as “someone to watch” for having “wonderful technique as well as keen musical sensibilities.” In addition to recording with Ethan Miller, in the last few years she has appeared on several concert series across North America. “Travel Notebook,” is a concept album which explores music which originated in different cultures and regions as experienced by the composers who wrote these pieces. The selections chosen for this release align with the duo’s initiative of presenting a diverse selection of material which is drawn from global musical traditions.

Composer Jonathan David has composed a wonderful group of songs, set to first-rate texts. The song texts include interesting topics; for example, the song Gitchee Gumee has a text inspired by the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a freighter that sank in Lake Superior during a storm in 1975, killing all 29 crewmembers. Gordon Lightfood wrote and recorded a well-known song chronicling this tragedy. Jonathan David was raised in New York City and currently lives in Chapel Hill, NC. Jonathan’s most recent commission was for At the Creche, a carol for the Asheville Gay Men’s Chorus. He has also had works commissioned by the New York Treble Singers, Duke University, Marble Collegiate Church, Atlanta Young Singers, and the Manhattan Wind Ensemble, among others. His music has been performed throughout the US and Europe at such venues as Duke Chapel, the Palace of Westminster, and the Cathedral of Notre Dame-Paris. Jonathan served as Composer-in-Residence for The Greenwich Village Singers, and was a founding member of the pioneering new music chorus, C4. From 2005-2011 he was the Classical Editor for the internet music service, Napster. Jonathan’s music is published by Oxford University Press, See-A-Dot Music, and Paraclete Press, and is also available through his website, www.jonathandavidmusic.com

This is an album featuring path-breaking works for orchestra and for violin and orchestra. Lutoslawski, Verese, and Ligeti certainly need no introduction. Conductor Christian Baldini is also a first-rate composer. Two superb violinists, Miranda Cuckson and Maximilian Haft are featured performers. "Christian Baldini brings symphonic revival" commented the Buenos Aires Herald on Baldini's recent concerts at the Teatro Argentino featuring Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and Varèse's Amériques. Based in California, Baldini conducts regularly several international orchestras including the Munich Radio Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra (of Argentina and the US), Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto (Portugal), San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, and Ensemble Dal Niente. Baldini recently made his debut conducting Verdi's Aida in London for English National Opera, and has conducted new productions at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, where he received the National Critics Association Award for best operatic performance.

What Is Noise is an award-winning ensemble that has performed throughout the United States. The ensemble made its Carnegie Hall debut in May of 2014 as part of their “American Stories” concert tour that included performances in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and New York. What Is Noise is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is passionate about building community through music by performing culturally relevant concerts that connect audiences with musicians and composers of their time. The sextet remains a strong advocate for new music and educational outreach. The present release, Equivocal Duration, features contemporary pieces for various mixes of flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, and cello.

Walter Gieseking was best-known as one of the greatest pianists of the first half of the 20th century, but he also was an excellent composer. This album features some of his Lieder, piano works and chamber works. These are all first recordings.

This is an album of great works for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, beautifully performed by The Teton Trio. The Trio writes: “We named ourselves after the stunning geography of the summer music festival that the three of us have in common. The Grand Teton Music Festival has happened every summer in Jackson, Wyoming, since 1962. The mountains of the Teton range, and the trails and scenery of Grand Teton National Park have been such an iconic backdrop to some truly life-changing performances for all three of us, and so by taking the name of this special place we hope to pay homage to and continue that tradition of beauty.”

These are two great contemporary works that deserve a wide audience. Chicago Pro Musica was founded in 1979 by composer/pianist Easley Blackwood and Chicago Symphony Orchestra clarinetist John Bruce Yeh. Honored with the 1986 Grammy Award for “Best New Classical Artist”, Chicago Pro Musica has earned an international reputation for its dynamic performances of a widely varied repertory. The ensemble comprises several virtuoso musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Chicago Tribune has called them “one of the most versatile and artistically accomplished [ensembles] on the American chamber music scene.”

The trio album s'Zwitscherl is the result of a unique musical collaboration across continents featuring musicians from three different nations (Switzerland, Germany, and Japan) playing Romantic, 20th, and 21st Century music for two clarinets and piano. Rolf Weber is solo clarinetist at the Staatstheater am Gartnerplatz in Munich. He is joined here by Barbara Heilmair, associate professor for clarinet and music history at the Portland State University School of Music, and Kazue Weber-Tsuzuki, concert pianist and renowned teacher.

Soul Search is a guided exploration of musical possibilities. The blending of clarinet with electronics is meditative at times, while soulful at others, and even raucous at certain moments. Eric Salazar is an emerging artist with international press attention. Dubbed a super-human clarinet hero (Big Car, 2015), Salazar pioneers the indie-classical genre. He takes his classical training and fuses together modern electronics with classical instruments, blending ancient styles with present musical trends. Salazar’s connective approach to performing wins the hearts of audiences as he guides them through explorations of raw emotion. Eric’s purpose for writing music is to create art that challenges standards, unites audiences of uncommon backgrounds, and connects souls through creative understanding. Salazar wass a 2017 recipient of the Robert D. Beckmann Jr. Emerging Artist fellowship by the Arts Council of Indianapolis.