New York based contemporary vocal ensemble Ekmeles releases "A Howl, That Was also a Prayer," a collection of premieres by Erin Gee, Christopher Trapani, and Taylor Brook that explores innovative territory in vocal writing, notably microtonality and alternate temperaments. Ekmeles is a vocal ensemble dedicated to the performance of new and rarely-heard works, and gems of the historical avant garde. New York is home to a vibrant instrumental New Music scene, with a relative paucity of vocal music. Ekmeles was founded to fill the gap by presenting new a cappella repertoire for solo voices, and by collaborating with these instrumental ensembles. Director Jeffrey Gavett brings a hybrid vision to the group: he is an accomplished ensemble singer and performer of new works, and holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and Manhattan School of Music's Contemporary Performance Program. He has assembled a virtuoso group of colleagues who bring their own diverse backgrounds to bear on the unique challenges of this essential and neglected repertoire.

Composer Richard Carrick releases a timely compendium of music for compact spaces which serves as an evocative and varied reminder of the way one can create sonic resonance with even the most sparing instrumentation. Featuring a distinguished group of performers, including Marilyn Nonken, String Noise, Margaret Lancaster, Vasko Dukovski, Either/Or, John Popham, Lauren Cauley, New York New Music Ensemble, Musicians of the Gugak Contemporary Orchestra of Seoul, Eduardo Leandro, Mivos Quartet, and Carrick himself. Richard Carrick is a musician of wide-ranging vocations and proclivities, whose calling spans composition, performance, conducting, teaching artistry, education, lecturing, ensemble leadership, and curation. His reputation as an international leader in contemporary music rests on his tireless curiosity, inter-continental body of experience, and ceaseless exploration across disparate musical fields. His music is characterized by spatial depth and robust stasis; continual development and the evocation of profound human experiences.

Composer Wang Lu releases "An Atlas of Time," her second recording on New Focus, featuring two large ensemble works performed by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP). The album title, also the title of the opening work, provides an apt metaphor for Wang Lu's work; her integration of Eastern and Western influences into her compositional style is less about a fusion of styles as it is about tapping into a cartography of her own personal memory and experiences. In this sense, Wang Lu works with "found sounds" that resonate within her own psyche but obliquely reference larger cultural touchstones.

Patchwork (Noa Even, saxophones and Stephen Klunk, drum set) releases its dynamic debut album featuring works written for them by Erin Rogers, Eric Wubbels, Dan Tramte, Osnat Netzer, and Hong-Da Chin. Influenced by the worlds of free jazz, metal, progressive rock, and the avant grade, Patchwork's commitment to stylistic hybridity is matched by their fidelity to the score. Mutually interested in exploring a wide range of contemporary genres, Noa Even and Stephen Klunk formed Patchwork, a saxophone and drum set duo that collaborates with composers to build an eclectic body of new music for their unique instrumentation. Their repertoire draws from the sounds of metal, free jazz, progressive rock, and a range of other styles.

This double album release features acoustic (album 1) and electro-acoustic works by members of The Association for the Promotion of New Music, including Stephen Dydo, Sheree Clement, Laurie San Martin, Carl Bettendorf, and Hubert Howe. APNM was founded in 1975 by Jacques-Louis Monod as a community of American composers with the purpose of sharing common musical values and creating a network of professional support. APNM fosters the compositional creativity of its members by offering performances of their music, publication services, and promotional visibility. APNM offers publishing services through the Subito Music Corp. APNM composers are published, but fully maintain their copyright, keeping half of their royalties, and are free from any contractual obligations. APNM promotes its member catalog through its website.

Guitarist Daniel Lippel releases a new version of Steve Reich’s iconic Electric Counterpoint. In collaboration with South African born ethnomusicologist Martin Scherzinger, Lippel approached the piece through the lens of its roots in Central Africa, specifically the traditional music of the Banda-Linda tribe, from which Reich borrowed material for the canonic theme of the opening movement. Guitarist Daniel Lippel, called an “exciting soloist” (New York Times), “precise and sensitive” (Boston Globe) has carved out a unique and diverse career that ranges through solo and chamber music performances, innovative commissioning and recording projects, and performances in diverse contexts. He has premiered more than fifty new solo and chamber works, many written for him, recording several on the independent label he co-founded and directs, New Focus Recordings. Lippel has been a member of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) since 2006 and Flexible Music since 2003 and has been a guest with many other ensembles including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New York New Music Ensemble, New York City Opera, Either/Or Ensemble, Dinosaur Annex, and counter)induction.

Scott Wollschleger's Between Breath contains four works for different duo and solo combinations that are presented here as a multi-movement complete work. Featuring performances by Miranda Cuckson, andPlay duo (Hannah Levinson and Maya Bennardo), Lucy Dhegrae, Anne Rainwater, and Nathaniel LaNasa, Wollschleger's music balances exuberance and intimacy with characteristic sensitivity to timbre and structural proportions.

Richard Cameron-Wolfe's Passionate Geometries features eight of his chamber works written over a thirty year period, displaying the wide range of aesthetic approaches at play in his music, from his theatrical micro-operas to deeply felt settings of instrumental works that explore microtonality. Cameron-Wolfe's musical voice is rarefied and unique in it's precise detail, injecting pathos and brilliance into the smallest of gestures as they come together to convey rich narratives.

Cuban-American composer Orlando Jacinto García unveils "la vida que vendrá," showcasing four electro-acoustic solo works that culminate in an ensemble piece performed by the prolific loadbang ensemble. Through this collection, García invites listeners to delve into the realm of timbre, exploring the interplay between harmonious and divergent sounds.

Composer Yi-Ting Lu releases her debut album, An Unopened Seashell, a collection of five solo works that demonstrates her capacity for using musical materials to explore extra-musical phenomena. Featuring performances by bassoonist Ben Roidl-Ward, harpist Ben Melsky, pianist Lam Wong, saxophonist Thomas Giles, and guitarist Daniel Lippel, An Unopened Seashell is an exciting first release from a composer with a captivating balance between her management of development and structure, creative approach to instrumental writing, and a flair for expressive character.

Reiko Füting's newest release "Broken Song" alternates choral settings of poetry by his long-term collaborator Kathleen Furthmann with a solo piano performance of his introspective work, "Five Meditations on Music from Luigi Rossi’s Collection," by pianist Jing Yang. Füting frequently uses quotation and references to early music as a jumping-off point in his work. The choral works are sung by Vocalconsort labia vocalia, conducted by Füting himself.

Composer Lainie Fefferman's "Here I Am" is the culmination of a fifteen year creative journey engaging and grappling with the ancient texts of the Hebrew Bible, and writing music in response to her immersive process. The resulting piece is structured loosely in the form of an oratorio and scored for a group of solo and ensemble female voices, accompanied by a kind of chamber rock band of electric guitar, drum set, piano, percussion, cello, violin, and clarinet, performed by TRANSIT New Music. At the heart of "Here I Am" is Fefferman's earnest effort at reclaiming her connection to this received tradition, understanding it in the context of modern life despite some of its challenging content, and inviting the listener to explore ancient texts with the same critical and open spirit.

Composer Kate Soper releases The Hunt, a one act chamber opera inspired by a series of medieval tapestries known as "The Lady and the Unicorn." The work is scored for three sopranos who also play instruments onstage (violin and ukulele), and incorporates some of Soper's characteristic compositional interests, such as the use of diegetic music, into this intimate staging.

Violinist Movses Pogossian continues his admirable advocacy for the work of Armenian composers with this extensive 4 disc collection of new works, a follow up to his Modulation Necklace release in 2020 (FCR244). Divided into four volumes that focus on instrumental chamber music, art song, and solo piano music, Serenade with a Dandelion is an invaluable resource to explore 20th and 21st century Armenian repertoire, performed with the utmost sensitivity and commitment by Pogossian and his colleagues.

In 2019, Jessica Meyer’s first composer/performer portrait album Ring Out highlighted her lyrical, expressive works that celebrate the arts of interpretation and performance. In her sophomore effort, I long and seek after, she focuses solely on vocal music that features poetry by female and underrepresented writers who tackle universal themes such as loneliness, desire, love, heartbreak, justice, and the courage to embark on a journey of discovering oneself.