New Release: Sky-Born Music

Sky-Born Music
10th Anniversary Commissions and World Premieres
Milwaukee Choral Artists
Sharon A. Hansen, director
Jeffry Peterson, pianist
with Stefan Kartman, cello
Indra Brusubardis, soprano
Leslie Fitzwater, messo-soprano

It is traditional during an anniversary year that a performing ensemble commissions a piece of music in commemoration of that milestone. Milwaukee Choral Artists went a step further by inviting ten composers to write new works for the ensemble - one for each of its ten years. Founded in 1998 as a chamber ensemble comprising professional solo singers, the Milwaukee Choral Artists is one of only a handful of professional women's vocal ensembles in the country. With its signature lush sound, MCA brings a distinctive and varied repertoire of choral and vocal masterworks to audiences throughout the region.

Track Listing:

1-Padmapani (2007)
Paula Foley Tillen
Thich Nhat Hahn
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

2-Potter’s Clay (2007)
Paul Fowler
Naomi C. Rose
Boulder, Colorado

3-A Prayer for Peace (2008)
Paula Foley Tillen
Thich Nhat Hahn
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

4-Lake Song (2007)
Paul Carey
Colette Inez
Chicago, Illinois

5-Sigh No More, Ladies! (1961; 2008 premiere)
Kirke L. Mechem
William Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing, II,3
San Francisco, California

6-8 Three Emily Dickinson Songs (2007)
George L. Mabry
Emily Dickinson
Clarksville, Tennessee

• 6-Heart, We Will Forget Him!
• 7-Going to Him!
• 8-Wild Nights!

9-Sky-Born Music (2007)
Paula Foley Tillen
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Leslie Fitzwater, soprano

10-Soft Voices, Sweet Violets, & Rose Leaves (2007)
Jackson Berkey
Percy Byssche Shelley
Omaha, Nebraska
Stefan Kartman, cello
Indra Brusubardis, soprano

11-Nahuatl Hymn to the All-Mother (2007)
Gilda Lyons
traditional Nahuatl prayer, adapted by the composer
New York, New York

12-Wade in the Water (2007)
Marion Verhaalen
Trad. Spiritual, with additional words by Marion Verhaalen
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

13-The Message (2008)
James Quitman Mullholland
Christopher Pearse Cranch
Indianapolis, Indiana

14-How Can I Keep From Singing? (2007)
David Bridges
Robert Wadsworth Lowry
Nashville, Tennessee


List Price: $18.98 
Our Price:$15.98 
You save $3.00!

Eternal Light and the East Carolina University Chamber Singers

Yesterday we told you about our new release Eternal Light by the East Carolina University Chamber Singers. So today we wanted to tell you a little more about the album and the ensemble.

Eternal Light
East Carolina University Chamber Singers
Christopher Grymes, clarinet
Christine Gustafson, flute
Christopher Uiffers, bassoon
Daniel Bara, director

One of America's great university choirs premieres new sacred works for choir and single instruments. Recorded in the sumptuous acoustics of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenville, NC.

Hymn to the Creator of Light — John Rutter
“O Thou Great Power in Whom I Move” * — Anthony Maglione
Veni Sancte Spiritus — Mark G. Sirett
Ave Maria — Cary Boyce
Cedit, Hyems (Be Gone, Winter!) * — Abbie Betinis
O quam gloriosum — Howard Helvey
De profundis — Ildebrando Pizzetti
Agnus Dei, (concerto for bassoon and mixed choir a cappella), Op. 167 * — Egil Hovland

1. Agnus Dei
2. Qui tollis peccata mundi
3. Miserere nobis
4. Dona nobis pacem

“I’ve Been in the Storm So Long” — Spiritual, arr. Jefferey L. Ames
“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen” — Spiritual, arr. Gail B. Poch
“Eternal Light” — Leo Sowerby
* World Premiere Recordings


American Record Guide says of The East Carolina University Chamber Singers after their recording of the Gothic Records album "Greater Love":

The East Carolina University Chamber Singers is the cream of the school's four choral ensembles-mainly undergraduate music majors... The choral tone is extraordinarily fine: warm, solid, well blended, and superbly disciplined. These qualities are enhanced by the friendly acoustic of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Greenville. I am inclined to think that the freshness and purity of sound we hear on this recording can only be obtained from well-trained young voices... Daniel Bara directs performances that are thoughtful and sensitive, with remarkable care over phrasing and nuance.

New Releases!

Check out some of our new releases!



Eternal Light
East Carolina University Chamber Singers

List Price: $18.98 
Our Price:$15.98 
You save $3.00!

Sky-Born Music: 10th Anniversary Commissions and World Premieres
Milwaukee Choral Artists

List Price: $18.98 
Our Price:$15.98 
You save $3.00!

Christmas at America's First Cathedral
Baltimore Choral Arts Chorus and Orchestra
Free bonus DVD included!

List Price: $18.98 
Our Price: $15.98 
You save $3.00!

The Organ Loft - Mel Butler at St. Mark's Cathedral

The Organ Loft - October 10, 2010
Mel Butler at St. Mark's Cathedral
Webcast and Broadcast Schedule




Program: Live Recording made on July 23, 2010 with Dr. J. Melvin Butler and the men of the Cathedral choir (choir: Duruflé only). Used by permission of the artist and supplied by St. Mark’s Cathedral.

1. Louis Vierne: Carillon de Westminster
2. Cesar Franck: Prière
3. Charles Tournemire: Chorale Improvisation on Victimae Laudes
4. Maurice Duruflé: Prelude, Adagio and Chorale Variations on Veni Creator

Listen Online:

KING-FM Seattle's Classical Choice — Sundays at 10:00 PM

OREGON: KWAX-FM and the University of Oregon radio network — Sundays at 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM

New Washington National Cathedral Releases

Check out some of our new Washington National Cathedral releases!


A Centennial Celebration
Washington National Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys

List Price: $18.98 
Our Price: $14.98 
You save $4.00

---

Joyful Noise: The Kibbey Carillon of Washington National Cathedral
Edward M. Nassor, Cathedral carillonneur plays sacred music for cathedral bells.

List Price: $18.98 
Our Price: $15.98 
You save $3.00!

Frederick Swann Receives AGO Award

Congratulations to Frederick Swann!

Mr. Swann was recently presented the American Guild of Organists (AGO) Edward A. Hansen Leadership Award. The award was given "in recognition of his stellar career as a concert artist and church musician, and in gratitude for his lifetime of leadership, devoted service, and extraordinary generosity to the Guild."

Frederick Swann, President of the American Guild of Organists (2002-2008), serves as Organist Emeritus of the Crystal Cathedral, Organist Emeritus of First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, and Organ Artist-in-residence at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, California. Mr. Swann is also University Organist, Artist-in-residence, and Artist Teacher of organ at Redlands (CA) University.

In addition to more than 2,500 solo recital presentations in major churches, cathedrals and concert halls throughout North America and many foreign countries, Mr. Swann performs frequently with symphony orchestras and choral organizations. In 2002 he was named Performer of the Year by the New York City chapter of the American Guild of Organists. In 2004 he was selected to perform the Inaugural Recital on the new organ in The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Frederick Swann most recently released the album "The Artistry of Frederick Swann" on Gothic Records. Click here to read more about it and to purchase.

Click here to view all of Frederick Swann's releases on The Gothic Catalog!

We're Back!

Well, we are finally back blogging! A lot has changed in the hiatus, most importantly being that we are now distributed by Naxos of America!

To find out more about this change, check out the Official Press Release from Naxos on Marketwire.com:

Naxos of America Welcomes the Gothic Catalog to Its Family of Distributed Labels
FRANKLIN, TN--(Marketwire - September 30, 2010) - Naxos of America is proud to announce distribution of the Gothic Catalog (www.gothic-catalog.com) label group effective immediately...Click to read the full press release

We also received a warm welcome from the Naxos USA Blog - "Portara"

Meet the Label: A Warm Welcome to Gothic Catalog!

What excites them the most about being a part of the NoA family?

The mission of The Gothic Catalog is essentially a marketing mission, and Naxos of America provides us with world-class marketing and distribution. We have some of the most important choral and organ recordings available, including many premier performances, and Naxos will help us connect them to a wider audience.

Any releases coming up that you would like to share/talk about with our readers?

I am very enthusiastic about a new release by the East Carolina University Chamber Singers directed by Daniel Bara. Called, “Eternal Light”, it features new sacred choral music---some selections “a cappella”, and others with a single instrument---flute, clarinet or bassoon. The major premiere is a 25-minute, four-movement setting of the Agnus Dei by the Norwegian composer Egil Hovland. It is recorded in the sumptuous acoustics of St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Greenville, NC and is truly one of the most beautiful recordings we have ever made.

For upcoming organ recordings, we have just finished two projects---a recording of the Great Organ of the Washington National Cathedral with Scott Dettra (which starts with Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”) and the complete organ works of Jean Titelouze, France’s first organ composer, recorded by Robert Bates on an organ from 1630 which Titelouze probably played at some time during his tenure as Cathedral organist in Rouen...

Click to read the full interview with our very own Roger Sherman!

We're very excited to be back and with a new partner, and look forward to sharing more here, and talking on our Facebook Page and Twitter!