Sono Luminus proudly presents Celebrating the American Spirit, performed by Essential Voices USA and directed by Judith Clurman, which reconfigures musical expressions of nationhood. EVUSA comes together with guest soloists and instrumentalists, including singers Kelli O'Hara and Ron Raines, and composer arranger Larry Hochman. There is even a new lyric by Sheldon Harnick, the famed lyricist of Fiddler on the Roof. From beginning to end, EVUSA delivers imaginatively conceived performances that articulate new visions of community and civic responsibility in the 21st century. At the core of the CD is 'Sing Out Mr. President', a series of sixteen newly commissioned works set to quotations by U.S. presidents stretching from George Washington to Barack Obama. Judith Clurman initiated this inventive project in response to 9/11, after she conducted the Juilliard Choral Union in a wrenching memorial concert at a firehouse in New York City.

Premiered at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 2022 - with Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming and Kelli O'Hara as it's stars - Kevin Puts's The Hours was praised by The New York Times as "sincere and persuasive... fervent... and soaringly lyrical". The opera returns to the Met's schedule in May 2024. Based on both the award-winning 2002 film directed by Stephen Daldry and the original novel by Michael Cunningham, The Hours interweaves characters and events from three different periods of the 20th century. Joyce DiDonato, who takes the pivotal role of writer Virginia Woolf, says that: "Even though it deals with death head-on, the piece is life-affirming and tells a timeless story. The characters' struggles are shared universally, and by highlighting them through the different personalities and periods, hopefully everybody can find a part of themselves in the story."

This audio recording showcases the opera The Hours, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts, which played to sold-out audiences at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City during it's world-premiere staged production last season. Featuring a libretto by Greg Pierce, adapted from Michael Cunningham's acclaimed novel and inspired by Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, the powerful story concerns three women from different eras who each grapple with their inner demons and roles in society. Joyce DiDonato (interpreting the role of Virginia Woolf) is joined by Renée Fleming as Clarissa Vaughan and Kelli O'Hara as Laura Brown, among others in this superstar cast, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Séguin.

Fleet facility on four horns and a pleasant voice equal a strongly swinging album by Betty O'Hara, a member of the all-woman big band Maiden Voyage and co-leader of the Jazz Birds female quintet. A woman for all sounds and tempos, she proves herself equally adept on trumpet, trombone. Double bell euphonium and flugelhorn, including several dubbed duets. Three vocals add another dimension, as do a pair of trio selections by pianist Johnny Varro, bassist Monty Corb and drummer Gene Estes. - JazzTimes. (Previously deleted:4/1/06. Original release date:3/22/95)