It’s been a wild and creative season in Rochester and the Finger Lakes region. Here are four new albums that have come out of our community that are making waves locally and nationally. You’ll be hearing these albums over the air on WXXI Classical, and two of the featured artists will also be performing live for our program Live from Hochstein this month.
Joshua Conyers: A Miracle in Legacy
Joshua Conyers is a world-traveling opera star, and since last year, he’s also a voice professor at the Eastman School of Music. In his debut album, Conyers’ rich baritone voice rings out in connections to painful pasts that are transformed into a more-hopeful present and future – while acknowledging that the journey is still far from over.
The stand-out selections on this album are music and words that were written for him by composer Jasmine Ariel Barnes and librettist Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton– “A Miracle in Legacy.” The writing is wise and lyrical, and these are artistic voices that we should be hearing more in the future.
This song cycle is in the pretty amazing company of works by leading contemporary Black composers Carlos Simon and Shawn Okpebholo, and commanding performances of spiritual arrangements by Margaret Bonds and Hall Johnson.
Hear Joshua Conyers on Live from Hochstein on November 13th
fivebyfive: Eclipse
Remember the eclipse? Or more importantly, remember all the excitement that led up to it? I loved the sense of wonder that accompanied it all, along with the ways that people gathered and worked together to create art and science projects, the community gatherings, and chances to learn more about the world and connect with each other.
One of the moments where it all came together was at a performance by the ever-inventive ensemble fivebyfive at the Strasenburgh Planetarium. They brought people together to celebrate the eclipse with new music and immersive video presented on a full dome of the planetarium.
The music from this one-of-a-kind show is just be released this Friday on a new album, inviting listeners to meditate on each of our experience of this celestial event in “Eclipse,” fivebyfive’s first release on NYC-based label Bright Shiny Things.
Follow along with fivebyfive’s exciting next projects
Telos Trio: Fresh Wind
The Telos Trio always brings together fascinating connections for their programs, including the history of women’s suffrage and the beauty of light in art and poetry.
There’s such elan – a spark and lift -- in the music they play on flute (Rita George Simmons), clarinet (Debbie Grohman, Carl Galland), and piano (Willie LaFavor).
The album’s title comes from a new work by composer and artistic director of Madrigalia, Cary Ratcliff “Fresh Wind for Our Sails,” drawing on ideas of peace and justice in community work. The theme of justice and community transformation continue in “Equality Now!” by Gwyneth Walker, with Susan B. as the music’s guiding light. Alex Shapiro brings peaceful programmatic music in her “Desert Thoughts” (even as a storm passes through) and “Disagree!” by Miguel del Águila integrates disparate musical themes, bright lively dances all jostling to be heard.
Join us for Live from Hochstein with the Telos Trio THIS Wednesday!
ATLYS: Sonnenberg Suite
While the days where wandering through a rose garden are quickly winding to a close for the season, there is a new musical tribute to the beauty of a space that combines history, nature, and art in Canandaigua: the Sonnenberg Suite, inspired by the absolutely lovely spaces at the Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park.
This music by Ari Barack Fisher evokes the different spaces in this treasure of our region in a cinematic and dreamy style, with focused and warm playing by the string quartet ATLYS.
In addition to the gorgeous music, this recording is a testament to the power of connection and community through the arts: Tom and Mary Lou Mees first heard ATLYS play at the Geneva Music Festival in 2019, and that concert led to the connection that brought this music into the world.
The world premiere concert performance of the Sonnenberg Suite took place in 2021 - and you may have heard it on the radio in concert performances that have been featured on WXXI Classical’s Performance Upstate. It’s so exciting that now the album is coming out later this month (November 17th) with the music along with images and stories of the gardens to share.
Happy listening!
