Celebrating 14* album releases from 13* of our New York Women Composer colleagues in 2023!

1. Eleanor Aversa: BECAUSE HE WAS A WEASEL: SONGS FOR COURAGE, COMFORT, AND FUN presents wholesome, funny, and life-affirming songs for kids and parents. NYC-affiliated singers are Dan Callaway (Broadway, title role in The Phantom of the Opera), local soprano Josephine Kraemer (Elle Woods, Pacific Opera Theater), and singer Nadia Washington (Jazz at Lincoln Center). Other featured singers are Shradha Ganesh (2023 Vidya Bharati Canada Young Artist Award) and Jillian Aversa (soloist with the Baltimore, National, and San Diego Symphonies). Released on August 25, 2023. Stream it here: http://tinyurl.com/mrxvzye4 | More info: www.eleanorandfriends.com.

2. Marilyn Bliss: BRASS TACKS 2 –– Two pieces for solo tuba – Aria and Evocations – are included on this compilation album of music for brass instruments. The tuba soloist is Jobey Wilson, and the pieces are published by ACA. “Evocations” is a four-movement piece exploring the broad range of sound, timbre, register, and emotions obtainable on this too-often misunderstood and neglected instrument. “Aria” is a brief, lyrical exploration of the tuba’s full range, highlighting its tonal beauty. Released on September 8, 2023. Buy/Stream here: https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6556/.

3. Victoria Bond: BLUE AND GREEN MUSIC is a string quartet based on a painting by Georgia O’Keeffe. It is performed by The Cassatt String Quartet, which also performs Bond’s quartet “Dreams of Flying.” Two vocal works round out the CD, “From an Antique Land,” and “Art and Science'” both performed by baritone Michael Kelly and pianist Bradley Moore. The title work takes its inspiration from a painting of the same name by Georgia O’Keeffe, in the words of the composer an “abstract study in motion, color and form, with the interplay of those two colors that dance with each other in graceful, sensuous patterns.” It is available on Albany Records and also on Spotify and iTunes. Released on January 1, 2023. Buy it here: http://tinyurl.com/msrfxm7m | Stream it here: http://tinyurl.com/3ysd45v4.

4. Ellen Fishman: UNLEASHED––“The Lark” quartet by Franz Joseph Haydn was one of the first string quartets I studied as a music student. In 2009, I was commissioned by Jeanne Ruddy Dance in Philadelphia to write an electronic piece loosely based on this quartet. With the pandemic of 2020-21, I reworked and revived this work for string quartet. I was honored to work with the Fairmount String quartet on this album of works by women composers. Released on February 17, 2023. Buy it here: http://tinyurl.com/2yp4txse | Stream it here: http://tinyurl.com/yn8wspxf / http://tinyurl.com/3pakfh4m.

STRINGFLO–– String Flo started as a conversation between myself and other musician friends who practice yoga or pilates. We all agreed that we would love to have the resonances of string instruments accompany our practice and yet there were few resources. The musicians of the Fairmount String Quartet encouraged me and we presented this work live with a Yoga Instructor. Released on December 1, 2023. Buy/Stream here: https://fanlink.to/thmG.

5. Whitney George: CHASING LIGHT, when performed live, is a 95-minute multi-sensory experience of light, movement, and music, inspired by photography. The work, scored for Pierrot Ensemble and written for members of her ensemble, The Curiosity Cabinet, aims to depict light as the main subject captured in different situations, each in a separate movement as a multi-sensory and immersive experience where the audience is enveloped in each of the 16 unique lighting environments. Released on December 15, 2023. Buy it here: http://tinyurl.com/44w68xmw | Stream it here: http://tinyurl.com/33fmu76d.

6. Juliana Hall: 40@40––Soprano Laura Strickling commissioned 40 composers to write 40 art songs for her 40th birthday. This CD presents recordings of 20 of those art songs. Composers include H. Leslie Adams, Juhi Bansal, Eugenia Cheng, Tom Cipullo, Andrea Clearfield, Nell Shaw Cohen, Evan Fein, Jodi Goble, Daron Hagen, Juliana Hall, Felix Jarrar, Joseph Jones, Lori Laitman, Bess McCrary, Reinaldo Moya, James Primosch, Myron Silberstein, Dennis Tobenski, Scott Wheeler, and Ed Windels. With pianist Daniel Schlosberg. 40@40 is one of five official nominees for a 2024 Grammy Award in the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album category. Released on August 18, 2023. Buy it here: https://www.brightshiny.ninja/40-at-40 | Stream it here: http://tinyurl.com/y5t66tdb.

7. Jennifer Jolley: WALKING ON SHATTERED GLASS is the first recording by the Texas Woman’s University Wind Symphony – the album of all women composers seeks to acknowledge the dichotomy of pioneering women who break down barriers while also highlighting how these women lead others through their passion for composition. Jennifer Jolley’s wind ensemble work “Ash” is featured, along music by Haley Woodrow, Catherine Likhuta, Nicole Piunno, Grace Baugher, Jodie Blackshaw, Cait Nishimura, and Valerie Coleman. Released on March 10, 2023. Buy it here: http://tinyurl.com/32yacz6h | Stream it here: http://tinyurl.com/59yn4j5y.

8. Diane Jones: LONDON CELLO CONNECTION––”Soul Dance” for cello and strings is intended to inspire movement and dance. “Soul Dance” is a part of the Parma release, London Cello Connection. The collection is made up of short works for cello and orchestra from 8 composers, all composed for cellist Ovidiu Marinescu. Released on March 10, 2023. Buy it here: http://tinyurl.com/wyc5cbzt | Listen to it here: http://tinyurl.com/5e5zwtk3.

9. Debra Kaye*: IKARUS AMONG THE STARS––From lyrical to grooving, experimental to coloristic, IKARUS AMONG THE STARS explores themes both perpetual and fleeting. The two Ikarus – themed works were commissioned as a memorial to a young musician and his music. The recording features Charles Neidich, clarinet; Hikaru Tamaki, cello; Daedalus Quartet; Marta Aznavoorian, piano; Kinga Augustyn, violin; Carl Gutowski, flute; Marcia Eckert, piano; Portland Youth Philharmonic, David Hattner conductor. Released on May 26, 2023. Buy it here:  http://tinyurl.com/2h4be648 | Stream it here: http://tinyurl.com/ywapws9f.

10. Catherine Neville: THREE PIECES ON PAINTINGS BY KANDINSKY (single) for electric guitar and vibraphones is inspired by Kandinsky’s use of color and abstract geometric shapes. “Red Accent,” from 1938, starts the piece with aggressive chords passed between guitar and vibes. “Blue” creates a complete contrast with melancholy sounds, and “Green” ends the work with an imitative, fugal texture. Released on October 27, 2023. Buy it here: http://tinyurl.com/jxdefdka | Stream it here: http://tinyurl.com/yfbarm3e.

11. Alyssa Reit: A CHRISTMAS FEAST––The album is a set of holiday arrangements, celebrating the rich tradition of Christmas music across multiple cultures and centuries. These twenty chamber-style settings feature violin (Krystof Witek), flute (Helen Campo), Horn (Peter Reit), cello (Annabelle Hoffman), and harp (Alyssa Reit). Released on November 3, 2023. Buy/Stream it here: http://tinyurl.com/57zswpsn.

12. Kim Sherman: ARK RESOUNDING––The ARK Trio, formed by soprano Allison Charney, cellist Kajsa William-Olsson, and pianist Reiko Uchida, commissioned works from contemporary composers as well as re-arranging classics, and the result can be heard on their debut release, ARK RESOUNDING. Works include two pieces by Kim D. Sherman: A Prairie Diary (song cycle) and The Wedding Song. Kim Sherman is also the co-producer of this recording. Released on February 3, 2023. Buy it here: http://tinyurl.com/3bk59dwm | Stream it here: http://tinyurl.com/mr3jpy5u.

13. Faye-Ellen Silverman: TIME LINGERS, recorded by Todd Revolt, alto saxophone, includes “Interval Untamed: Five Miniatures”, published by Subito Music. All five movements of this work are built on the opening pitches of the first movement – F-E (the initials of my first name – Faye-Ellen). Yet each miniature movement has its own tempo and its own timbral color. The opening interval reappears repeatedly, only resolving in the final measures of the work, when E to F finally resolves to three Ds. Released on September 1, 2023. Stream it here: http://tinyurl.com/4kkfdhvb.

*Composer added after initial publication.

If you are interested in making a charitable donation to support the amazing work of New York Women Composers, please follow this link: http://tinyurl.com/supportNYWC

1. Chen Yi: AMBIGUOUS TRACES––Chen Yi’s Woodwind Quintet #3 (Suite From China West) performed by Pan Pacific Ensemble on the album. Albany Records [Troy 1903] released on September 1, 2022. Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/4sdfhd7d 

DIGITAL MIST––Chen Yi’s From Old Peking Folklore, Fisherman’s Song, Romance and Dance for violin and piano performed by Patrick Yim and Kiu Tung Poon, featured on the album. Released on Naxos [8.559903], July 1, 2022. Purchase here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/295236822403

FIVE MINUTES FOR EARTH––Dark Mountains for harp solo performed by Yolanda Kondonassis as a part of her FIVE MINUTES for Earth Project, released on April 1, 2022 (Earth Day month) on Azica [ACD 71349] (Naxos distribution).  Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/5cab3xbn

SEVEN WAYS TO SAY FAREWELL (Olga Dubossarskaya Kaler and Kathryn Brown)––Chen Yi’s Memory for violin solo performed by Olga Dubossarskaya Kaler in her CD Seven Ways to Say Farewell, released on July 15, 2022, Centaur Records [CRC 3942]. Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/5xcaasav 

2. Stefania de Kenessey: IN HER WORDS––This album is a breakthrough for me: it is all electronic, and it is all dance music. In recent years, I have turned increasingly to electronic music composition as a rich source of experimentation, of new sonorities – and of total control. Or something like that. The result is an eclectic combination of vernacular and classical influences: I refer, in equal parts, to the Bulgarian and Hungarian folk songs of my childhood; to the historically hallowed Western genres of my education; and to the American popular music of my adulthood. Above all, I search for glimmers of joy and beauty, even in situations (like our current predicament) that are often desperate and ugly.

This recording showcases four results of a four-year collaboration with choreographer Ariel Grossman, the founder and director of the all-female Ariel Rivka Dance company.  Our work together has been steady, fruitful and happy.  Ariel constantly asks me to traverse slightly unfamiliar terrain, and the results are eye-opening and refreshing.  

The four pieces are diverse in sound, outlook, orientation.  But they are unified in theme: they all confront the difficulties faced by women everywhere, of all backgrounds, of all stations in life – themes that live close to my heart. Released April 8, 2022.

Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/2scpdrct | Stream it: https://tinyurl.com/p56rp7xu (Also found on Bandcamp, Amazon, etc.)

3. Wendy Griffiths: VIEWS FROM THE KEYBOARD––Veteran pianist Elizabeth Rodgers performs several collections of piano works, including the ever-popular “Seven Places in America.” Released June 1, 2022. Stream it: https://tinyurl.com/458vpxz7

4. Debra Kaye: INVITING WORLDS, VOL. 2––With the string orchestra piece Rising Up, I hope to evoke the emotional and spiritual experience of picking yourself up from the darkest place to a feeling of joy. I wrote this 11-minute, one-movement work in 2020. Given the pandemic and the uncertainties of the upcoming U.S. election, composing Rising Up gave me an outlet for engaging the tensions of the time and asserting a feeling of hope. 

With a nod to Bach, I embedded the word “vote” into the musical structure at cadence points throughout the piece. How is this done? Repeat the 7-letter musical alphabet across our 26-letter alphabet, “V”=“A”, “O”=“A”, “T”=“F”, and then there’s “E.” Fortuitously, these tones happen to work well together. Released August 12, 2022. Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/4d5y2krf

5. Jane Leslie: STARLIGHT REFLECTION––Starlight Reflection (arr. for piano and orchestra) is a Single release, performed by pianist Anna Sutyagina, collaborating with arranger Jeffrey Torres.  This is an arrangement of my piano solo that I had recorded in 2015.  The music is soft and reflective, and was inspired by the night sky. Released May 6, 2022. Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/cfj3mpnb.

6. Catherine Neville: HOLD YOUR CENTER––This album explores themes of exploration and experimentation, chronicling the journey of a composer. Released May 1, 2022. Stream it on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/muwvuzv2

7. Niloufar Nourbakhsh: LA FEMME (A JOURNEY OF FEMALE COMPOSERS)––The Window (Mezzo-soprano: Flaka Goranci). Music by Niloufar Nourbakhsh, text by Forugh Farrokhzad. Poem from Sin: Selected Poems of Forugh Farrokhzad, edited and translated by Sholeh Wolpé (University of Arkansas Press). Released November 7, 2022. © 2022 NAXOS Deutschland. Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/54enatcw

8. Nina Siniakova: FROZEN REFLECTIONS features compositions written for various sets of instruments, including works for violin and harpsichord, three cellos and double bass, and a woodwind quintet alternate with compositions for solo piano performed by Nina Siniakova herself. Stylistically solid, yet diverse in its musical elements, Siniakova’s works present carefully thought-through, elegant, sophisticated music that inspires profound thoughts and desires to explore. 

“I think of this album as a set of novels,” says composer Nina Siniakova. “Each of the novels is a unique take on beauty, since beauty is probably the quality I value in life the most. Beauty of the moment, of memory, of sadness, love or an emotion is what we want to keep.” Released October 10, 2022. Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/3ttewnz7

THREE WISHES––Around the world in ninety days? Not necessarily! THREE WISHES is a jazz suite for flute and piano, that allows a listener to visit Paris, New York, and Buenos Aires in just twelve minutes! The suite gained wide popularity thanks to its refreshing, jazzy language combined with catchy tunes and memorable rhythmical patterns. This suite is a perfect piece to perform for any audience. Released January 20, 2022. Stream/Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/mpjcrub6

9. Hilary Tann: 2020 VISIONS––On Ear and Ear for piano and cello is based on Gerhard Manley Hopkins’ poem “The Sea and the Skylark.”  The two instruments contrast the flow of the tides with the freedom of the bird. I’d like the listener to feel free to imagine a walk along the Welsh cliffs with the sea and the skylark being present. On Ear and Ear is a visual landscape. Released August 26, 2022. Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/2bh8dzjz

BETWEEN EARTH AND SEA––From The Song of Amergin was composed for Lontano at the 1995 Criccieth Festival in North Wales. It is in five sections, played without a break. Three lines from Robert Graves’ restoration of the text from an ancient Celtic calendar-alphabet, the “Song of Amergin,” directly inspired the piece: “I am the wind: on a deep lake, I am a tear: the sun lets fall, I am a hawk: above the cliff.” The three inner sections are shaped by the lines of the poem (the harp is featured in wind/lake, the viola in tear/sun, and the flute in hawk/cliff) and the piece begins and ends with an evocation of “I am.” Released November 18, 2022. Purchase here: www.tycerddshop.com

UNBROKEN THREADS––First Light was conceived to take part in a three-concert cycle of the complete Beethoven violin and piano sonatas. For the “Beethoven in Wales” project I chose Beethoven’s last sonata as my “muse”.  It was enjoyable for me to have this “dialog with Beethoven” as I paralleled the form, textures, and pacing of his Op. 96. Released September 5, 2022. Purchase here: www.tycerddshop.com

10. Rain Worthington: PASSAGES THROUGH TIME––A collection of orchestral and chamber works that explore the mystery of instrumental music’s ability to communicate the primal universality of human experiences. Released March 11, 2022. Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/yc7zcbtk

THINGS IN PAIRS––Recorded by violinist Audrey Wright, with pianist Yundu Wang, these works span five centuries, contrasting the classical Joseph Bologne with modern minimalist Arvo Pärt, Baroque virtuoso Biber with the contemporary Rain Worthington, all under the watchful eye of Viennese Classical Beethoven. Released February 11, 2022. Purchase here: https://tinyurl.com/37ebcnmu

If you are interested in making a charitable donation to support the amazing work of New York Women Composers, please follow this link: https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1758020